Vacuum filter system for solid-liquid separation and process for filtering solid particles

ABSTRACT

A filter system for filtering solids includes a filtration tank for receiving a slurry containing the solids to be filtered. A filter assembly including a plurality of filter cells each having a filter medium at an exterior and a cavity at an interior is lowered into the filtration tank using a transport device carrying the filter assembly. A vacuum transfer system is connected to the filter assembly so as to transfer a vacuum to an interior of the filter cells. The vacuum transfer system is operable to perform the filtering and to retain the filtered solids while the transport device moves the filter assembly relative to the filtration tank.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO PRIOR APPLICATIONS

This application is a U.S. National Stage Application under 35 U.S.C. §371 of International Application No. PCT/US2016/065902 filed on Dec. 9,2016, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No.62/266,112, filed on Dec. 11, 2015, the entire content of which ishereby incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD

The present invention relates to industrial product separation, ionexchange, crystallization and chemical reaction. More particularly, thepresent invention relates to solid-liquid separation. More particularly,the present invention relates to a vacuum filter apparatus forseparating solid particles from the liquid hosting such particles.

BACKGROUND

Different types of filters exist for separating solid particles fromliquid in a form that is known as a filter cake as described in Chapter11 of “Chemical Process Equipment Selection and Design” by Stanley M.Walas, the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by referenceherein. Once formed, washing and drying is performed on the filter cakeand the filter cake is discharged.

In general, the solid/liquid separation equipment currently available onthe market comes in the following categories:

1. Vacuum Filters

2. Pressure Filters

3. Centrifuges

4. Thickeners

5. Clarifiers

Vacuum filters include vacuum drum filters and rotary belt filters,which provide for continuous, semi-continuous or batch operation using amoving filtration medium on a drum, disc or along a belt. The mostpopular pressure filters include filter presses, candle filters andplate filters, such as horizontal plate/leaf type filters, which provideonly for batch operation.

A candle filter consists of a plurality of candles suspended in apressure vessel. Each candle is elongate and circular in shape like acandle and consists of filtration media arranged around a coreconsisting of a bundle of perforated tubes. The slurry feed is pumpedinto the bottom of the pressure vessel and is passed under pressurethrough the filtration media such that liquid, known as filtrate, entersinto the cores and is drawn out from the top while the solid particlesremain on the filtration media and build up into a filter cake. Thehousing of the pressure vessel is under pressure supplied by an upstreamfeed pump. Once the filter cake reaches a certain thickness (˜5 cm), theflow of slurry into the housing is cut off and any remaining liquid isdrained from the housing. The filter cake is dumped to the bottom of thehousing by vibration or an air pulse applied backward inside thecandles. Plate filters have a similar mode of operation, with adifferent shape of the filter elements.

While candle and plate filters are advantageous for differentapplications, the inventor has recognized a number of disadvantages.First, these pressure filters can be batch operated only. Second, cakewashing and drying cannot be easily performed prior to cake dischargebecause pressure would need to be maintained in the housing to retainthe filter cake when the pressure vessel is depressurized to be emptiedfrom slurry. Also, even though the candles offer a large and effectivefiltration area for their, the entire size of a candle filter is limitedby the size of the pressure vessel because pressure vessels areexpensive and increase in cost with increasing diameter. As a result,candle filters have been mostly heretofore used for clarification andpolishing.

SUMMARY

In an embodiment, the present invention provides filter systems andcorresponding processes for filtering solids from a slurry containingthe solids. The filter system includes a filtration tank for receiving aslurry containing the solids to be filtered. A filter assembly includinga plurality of filter cells each having a filter medium at an exteriorand a cavity at an interior is lowered into the filtration tank using atransport device carrying the filter assembly. A vacuum transfer systemis connected to the filter assembly so as to transfer a vacuum to aninterior of the filter cells. The vacuum transfer system is operable toperform the filtering and to retain the filtered solids while thetransport device moves the filter assembly relative to the filtrationtank.

In other embodiments, for example, the filter system can operate underpressure and/or in semi-continuous or continuous operation, which canuse a vacuum in a number of advantageous ways described herein, but donot always require the inventive vacuum transfer system. The filtersystems described herein provide significant advancements for a numberof different applications, such as reaction, solvent exchange andcrystallization and are useful for a wide variety of industries, such aschemical, mining and medical.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be described in even greater detail belowbased on the exemplary figures. The invention is not limited to theexemplary embodiments. All features described and/or illustrated hereincan be used alone or combined in different combinations in embodimentsof the invention. The features and advantages of various embodiments ofthe present invention will become apparent by reading the followingdetailed description with reference to the attached drawings whichillustrate the following:

FIG. 1 is a schematic overview of a filter system according to anembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a detailed schematic view of a filter system according to anembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing additional details of the system ofFIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a mobile pipe of a vacuum supply system;

FIG. 5 is a partial schematic view of the vacuum supply system;

FIG. 6 is a schematic, exploded view of components of the vacuum supplysystem;

FIG. 7 is a schematic top view of the filter system;

FIG. 8 is a schematic front view of a filter cell assembly according toan embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 9A is a schematic view of a perforated plate of the filter cellassembly;

FIG. 9B is a detailed, schematic view of components of the vacuumsystem;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of a filter cell of the filter cellassembly;

FIG. 11 is a schematic view of the filter cell including filter celllayers of screen and filtration media;

FIG. 12 is a schematic, exploded view of the filter cell;

FIG. 13 is a schematic view of the filter cell assembly suspended insidea filtration tank;

FIG. 14 is a schematic view of the filter cell assembly held above thefiltration tank by a hoist;

FIG. 15 is a flow chart illustrating a method of operation of the filtersystem and a method of filtering according to an embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 16 is a schematic view of the filter system according to anotherembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 17 is a schematic view showing additional details of the system ofFIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is a schematic view illustrating possible filter cake washingand discharge in the system of FIG. 17;

FIG. 19 is a schematic view of the filter system according to a furtherembodiment of the invention that provides for use of longer filtercells;

FIG. 20 is a detailed schematic view of a filter system according toanother embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 21 is a schematic view of the filter assembly of FIG. 20;

FIG. 22 is a top perspective view of the filter assembly of FIG. 20 witha hoist and transport device;

FIG. 23 is a top view of a horizontal filter cell for use in the filterassembly of FIG. 20;

FIG. 24 is a schematic view of interior features of the filter cell ofFIG. 23;

FIG. 25 is a schematic view of exterior features of the filter cell ofFIG. 23;

FIG. 26 is a bottom perspective view of the filter assembly of FIG. 22with feet;

FIG. 27 is a schematic view of a cake discharge tank according to anembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 28 is a schematic view of the filter assembly of FIG. 22 being usedwith the cake discharge tank of FIG. 28 according to an embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 29 is a schematic view of another embodiment of the liquidcollector;

FIG. 30 is a top perspective view of a rotating assembly useable inanother embodiment of the filter system;

FIG. 31 is a bottom perspective view of the rotating assembly of FIG.30;

FIG. 32 is a detailed view of a portion of the rotating assembly of FIG.30;

FIG. 33 is another detailed view of another portion of the rotatingassembly of FIG. 30;

FIG. 34 is a schematic of the filter system according to FIG. 30;

FIG. 35 is a top perspective view of another embodiment of a separatoruseable in the filter system of FIG. 34;

FIG. 36 is another schematic view of the filter system according to FIG.34;

FIG. 37 is a top perspective view of a vessel useable in a furtherembodiment of the filter system;

FIG. 38 is a front perspective view of a rotating assembly useable inthe filter system of FIG. 37;

FIG. 39 is a top perspective view of a pressure vessel useable in yet afurther embodiment of the filter system;

FIG. 40 is a front perspective view of a rotating assembly useable inthe filter system of FIG. 39; and

FIG. 41 is a schematic view of the embodiment of the filter system ofFIG. 39.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In different embodiments, the present invention provides a filtersystem, a filter and a corresponding method of operation which providegreater throughput, versatility and improved efficiency.

One principle of operation of the filter system according to a firstembodiment of the invention can be conceptually explained by an analogyto drinking juice containing pulp from a glass using a straw. In thisexample, the mouth acts as a vacuum pump and the straw is a flexiblepipe that transfers the vacuum down to the end of the straw that isinside the glass of juice. Now assume that the bottom end of the strawis blocked by being tied off. At that end of the straw, needle-sizepunches are provided at a distance of only a few centimeters above thetie point. Now the straw can act as filtration media. The juice flowsinto the mouth while the pulp builds up on the outside of the straw. Thepulp will continue to stick to the straw even after finishing all thejuice provided the vacuum is maintained by continuously sucking airthrough the straw. At this time, the mouth, together with the neck andbody, can also act as a mobile vacuum pump simultaneously taking thestraw and the pulp to any place desired. The next destination of thestraw and the attached orange pulp could be inside a pure glass of watersitting next to the original glass of orange juice. By so doing, forexample, further nutrients can be washed from the pulp by establishing aflow of water from the glass to the mouth through the straw with theattached pulp. Next, while continuing to maintain the suction, it ispossible to again lift the straw and the attached pulp out of the glassof water and drop the pulp at any desired destination by blowing airback into the straw.

According to an embodiment of the invention, tubes covered by afiltration media, such as a fabric, act as the perforated straws.Alternatively or additionally, plates can also act as the perforatedstraws. The tubes and the plates are each referred to herein also asfilter cells. The filter and filter system according to embodiments ofthe invention preferably include tens to hundreds of filter cells, oreven more depending on the application. The filter cells are connectedto a device specifically designed to act as a mobile vacuum pump.

Advantageously, embodiments of the filter and filter system are simplein design, inexpensive to produce and easy to operate and maintain. Inaddition, embodiments also provide that the required volume of washingliquor is significantly less than that required in known filter systems,thereby providing significant savings on capital, operating and wastemanagement costs. Different embodiments can also be used in nearly allmanufacturing and waste management industries dealing one way or theother with solid-liquid separation.

According to an embodiment, the filter system includes a plurality offilter medium support elements and a suction device. The filter mediumsupport elements each have a body with an interior cavity enclosed by awall. The wall has an outer surface covered by a filter medium. Theouter surface and interior cavity are connected by apertures formed inthe wall. The filter medium extends over the apertures. In this case,the filter cell includes the filter medium support elements and thefilter medium. A suction device is operatively connected to the interiorcavities.

While a filter cell design according to one embodiment of the inventioncan be circular and elongate, such as the candles of the known pressurefilter type, the filter cells according to different embodiments of theinvention can actually differ in a number of significant ways from thecandles used in a conventional candle filter operated with pressure asdiscussed herein. The cage design in a conventional candle filter isalways a circle, while, in contrast, the cage of the filter cells inembodiments of the invention may be in a number of other geometricalforms as well, such as square or rectangular.

In an embodiment, the invention provides a filter system which consumesa significantly reduced amount of wash liquor, thereby reducing thecapital and operating costs and/or reducing liquid wastes.

In an embodiment, the invention provides a filter system which can bebuilt with a filtration surface area so large that no other vacuumfilter has ever been possible to build.

In an embodiment, the invention provides a filter system in which thetime duration of each and every step of a filtration cycle can be chosenindependently without having an effect on one another.

In an embodiment, the invention provides a filter system in which thetime duration of each and every step of a filtration cycle can be tuneddifferently for every single product.

In an embodiment, the invention provides a filter system that is capableof clarifying the filtrate liquid within the filtration steps withoutany need for complementary filter aids.

In an embodiment, the invention provides a filter system which is ofsimple construction and therefore costs a minimum to build compared toother types of filters with the same filtration area.

In an embodiment, the invention provides a filter system which is easyto change parts on and to increase or decrease the filtration area.

In an embodiment, the invention provides a filter system that can handleslurries with any percentage of solids.

In an embodiment, the invention provides a filter system that caninclude any number of counter-current or concurrent washing stages, forexample, as many as 7 or 8 stages or more if required by theapplication.

In an embodiment, the invention provides a filter system with manyoptions with respect to where to discharge the filter cake.

In an embodiment, the invention provides a filter system that canperform ion exchange on the filter cake prior to final discharge of thefilter cake.

In an embodiment, the invention provides a filter system that isintegrated with a reactor or a crystallizer.

In an embodiment, the invention provides a filter system that is usedfor separating many solid products that historically have been separatedexclusively by centrifuges.

In an embodiment, the invention provides a filter system in a singledesign which can readily be used for a wider spectrum of product andprocess requirements.

In an embodiment, the invention provides a filter system that canreadily be sized to any specific product and process requirement.

In an embodiment, the invention provides a filter system in which theorientation of the filter cells or the filtration media can be vertical,horizontal or both.

In an embodiment, the invention provides a solid-liquid filter systemthat can operate semi-continuously or continuously with pressure.

FIG. 1 provides a schematic overview of an embodiment of a batchoperated filter system 10 according to the invention. The filter system10 can be used as equipment for separating solid particles from asuspension of solid and liquid referred to as “slurry.” The filteredsolids are in a form referred to as a “filter cake” and the liquidremoved from the slurry is referred to as “filtrate.” Additionally, thefilter system 10 can be used further to dewater the filter cake, washthe filter cake using “wash liquor,” dry the filter cake and dischargethe filter cake. The wash liquor used in the process can be dischargedin a form referred to as “diluted wash liquor.” According to anembodiment, the driving force for separation is vacuum supplied from anexternal source such as water ring vacuum pump used in operation ofrotary drum, belt and disc filters.

FIG. 2 shows a first exemplary embodiment of the filter system 10including least three tank reservoirs 100, 200, 300, whichadvantageously can be ordinary containers that are at least partiallyopen at the top. Filtration tank 100 is for receiving and holding anappropriate amount of the slurry to be filtered. Wash tank 200 is forreceiving and holding an appropriate amount of wash liquor. Cakedischarge tank 300 is for discharging the filter cake. A side mixer 110can be installed in filtration tank 100 to keep the solids insuspension. A top entry agitator 350 can also be assembled with vessel300 to re-slurry the discharged cake to a thick, but still pumpablematerial. The filter system 10 also includes a vacuum separator 400 forseparating the filtrate and the diluted wash liquor from any incomingfree gas. The vacuum separator 400 is able to fully separate thefiltrate and the diluted wash liquor from any incoming gas inside twoseparate chambers A, B.

Over the course of operation of the filter system 10, the flow of slurryinto the filtration tank 100, the flow of wash liquor into the wash tank200, the discharge of filtrate and diluted wash liquor from the vacuumseparator 400 and/or the discharge of solids from the cake dischargetank 300 may take place in a batch, continuous or semi-continuousmanner. Advantageously, the filter system subject to an embodiment ofthis invention permits continuous movement of the filter cake throughoutthe stages of filtering, washing and discharging, as well as otheroptional stages, by utilizing a specially designed vacuum transfersystem 30 connected with a filter assembly 20 and a transport device (inthe illustrated embodiment, a crane 700). In particular, the vacuumtransfer system 30 permits the filter cake to be held onto the filterassembly 20 throughout movement between the tanks 100, 200, 300.

Moreover, the continuous application of vacuum avoids separate steps topurge filtrate and diluted wash liquor from inside the filter assembly20 after filtration and washing, and permits continuous recovery of thesame. Purging through the filter cake can advantageously occur duringmovement between tanks 100, 200, 300. In such an embodiment, each filterassembly 20 could be provided with its own vacuum transfer system 30.

The filter assembly 20 includes filter cells 510 of vertical type,preferably suspended from a perforated plate 520, connected to a liquidcollector 530. The number of filter cells 510 can be from one up to tensor hundreds, or even more depending on their size and the application,but for the purpose of simplicity only two filter cells 510 are shown inFIG. 2. The liquid collector 530 is preferably secured at the center ofthe perforated plate 520 where there are no perforations, although otherlocations and arrangements are also possible.

As mentioned above, the filter assembly 20 is connected with a transportdevice, such as a moveable crane 700. The crane 700 can be a common,multifunctional type of ceiling crane capable of not onlylifting/lowering an object, but also moving that object to anotherlocation. The crane 700 moves inside a crane rail 709 installed rightabove and parallel to a hypothetical line connecting the centers of allthree tanks, 100, 200 and 300. If the filter assembly 20 should be ofhorizontal type, then the tank 300 is not positioned within the saidcenter line due to requirement spacing for rotation prior to dischargeof the filter cake. The crane 700 is connected to the filter assembly 20through the crane rope 702. Thereby, the crane 700 is configured tolower/lift the filter assembly 20 including filter cells 510 into orfrom the tanks 100, 200, 300, in addition to moving the filter assembly20 between the tanks.

The filter system 10 also includes a vacuum transfer system 30,preferably installed immediately behind and near the top end of tanks100, 200, 300 to supply vacuum to the group of filter cells 510 in thefilter assembly 20. In the illustrated embodiment, the vacuum transfersystem 30 includes a mobile pipe 610 that moves inside a stationary pipe620. The mobile pipe 610 moves, preferably in the horizontal plane inthe same direction and at the same speed as the crane 700, by the workof winch 632. The winch 632 is of a special design that includes twoseparate drums 633 a, 633 b and two separate ropes 634 a, 634 b eachwrapped around a respective drum 633 a, 633 b. The winch 632 pulls themobile pipe 610 by collecting one rope 634 a while releasing the otherrope 634 b, and vice versa. The rope 634 b passes over wheels 647 whichalign and redirect the rope 634 b as desired. The ropes 634 a, 634 b, aswith all other ropes referred to herein, can be any type of flexibleline, chain or cable. While the following arrangement is particularlyadvantageous, other types of winches and ropes can be used. For example,a single rope in a system using spring-returns and/or other types ofwinches can be used to produce the above-described motion of the mobilepipe 610.

The mobile pipe 610 is a regular pipe with a smooth outside wall.Preferably, the mobile pipe 610 extends to a first elbow 613 and then toanother elbow 615 both having the same size as the mobile pipe 610. Theelbows 613, 615 are connected to each other through a screw-type freemoving joint 617 that allows the free movement of the elbow 615, 180degrees within the horizontal plane. This movement advantageouslyminimizes mechanical shocks exerted on elbow 613 and the mobile pipe610. The mobile pipe 610 also moves resting on wheels 680. The wheels680 both withstand the weight of the mobile pipe 610, align the movementand also absorb part of the shocks and stresses exerted by the flexiblepipe 640 that connects the mobile pipe 610 and the filter assembly 20.The elbow 615 is connected to the liquid collector 530 via the flexiblepipe 640. The vacuum can be introduced into and shut from the filtercells 510 through the operation of a valve 642 installed between theelbow 615 and the flexible pipe 640. Additionally, a valve 644 can beconnected immediately downstream of the valve 642 and before theflexible pipe 640. The valve 644 is connected to a pressurized airsupply hose and is opened only for very short durations to introduce areverse air pulse to blow the filter cake off the filter cells 510 inthe cake discharge tank 300. While the foregoing vacuum transfer system30 is especially advantageous, variations and other types of vacuumsystems are useable in other embodiments.

The vacuum separator 400 is connected to a vacuum source, preferably avacuum pump. The vacuum separator 400 is partitioned into chambers A, Bthrough a wall 412 that separates the chambers A, B from each othercompletely except for a small hole near the top which allows forequalization of the pressure. Alternatively, separate vessels and/or apressure equalization line connecting chambers/vessels can be used.

When the filter system 20 is positioned below the liquid level in tanks100, 200 and the vacuum is applied to the filter assembly 20, thefiltrate or the diluted wash liquor, as the case may be, is pulled byvacuum from the respective tank 100, 200 through filter cells 510 to therespective chamber A, B of the vacuum separator 400. For example, thefiltrate or diluted wash liquor can flow into liquid collector 530 andthen through the flexible pipe 640 to the mobile pipe 610 and then tothe stationary pipe 620, and from there flow into the vacuum separator400 passing through either valve 652 or valve 662. Both of the valves652, 662 are of an open/close type and their role is to pass or blockthe flow of filtrate or diluted wash liquor coming from the stationarypipe 620 to an appropriate chamber A, B at appropriate timing.

A batch filtration process according to an embodiment of the inventionusing the filter system 10 of FIG. 2 includes the following steps:

Step 1: Crane 700 lowers the filter assembly 20 into tank 100 whilevalve 642 is closed and so no vacuum is exerted through the filter cells510. Once the filter medium of the filter cells 510 reaches below theliquid level, vacuum is introduced into the filter assembly 20 byopening valve 642. Initially, any air trapped within the filter cellsand the connecting pipes would be sucked out followed by removal of theliquid portion of the slurry in the form of filtrate directed throughthe vacuum transfer system 30 to chamber A passing through valve 652which is in an open position over this step. A flow of slurry preferablycontinuously fills tanks 100 keeping the level of slurry above thefiltration medium over the entire duration of this step. The plural ofthe filter cells is maintained in the tank 100 for a time sufficient toallow for build-up of a filter cake to a desired thickness. This timingmay vary from a few seconds up to hours depending on the application.Once a filter cake with the desired thickness is formed on the filtercells 510, crane 700 lifts the filter assembly 20 out of tank 100 andholds it above the tank for a time sufficient to extract the liquidtrapped inside the filter cake. The valve 642 may be used for regulatingthe vacuum over the entire duration of filtration and the followingsteps until the cake gets discharged off the filtration medium. Thevacuum pressure may be regulated to optimize filtration and washquality, in addition to maximizing the dewatering (extraction ofresidual liquid off the cake) and minimizing cake-cracking and otherundesirable changes to the properties of the filter cake

Step 2: Crane 700 then moves the filter assembly 20 to above tank 200and lowers the filter cells 510 to below the liquid level in the tank200 that is preferably already filled with fresh wash liquor. Over thisstep, the fresh wash liquor is passed through the filter cake so as todisplace the mother liquor out in a piston-type manner. The diluted washliquor is directed via flexible pipe 640 to vacuum transfer system 30and then passes through valve 662 to chamber B. As a result, the filtercake is washed off of any residual component and solvents with minimumconsumption of wash liquor. A flow of fresh wash liquor continuouslyfills tanks 200, keeping the liquid level above the filter medium overthe entire duration of this step. The duration of this step is tuned tooptimize wash quality while minimizing the consumption of wash liquor.The timing of this step may again vary from a few second to hoursdepending on the application.

Step 3: After washing the filter cake, crane 700 lifts the filterassembly 20 out of tank 200 and moves it to above tank 300. Over thisstep, the flow of vacuum is further maintained to withdraw the washliquor out of the cake leaving a dry cake up to a desired moisturecontent. The timing of applying the vacuum, and/or the level of vacuum,can be adjusted to achieve a desired moisture content. Over this step,the cake gets discharged off the filter cells 510. If the filter cells510 are vertically oriented, the valve 642 is closed followed by openingvalve 644 for a time duration ranging from fraction of a second up to afew minutes. A pulse of pressurized air generated from opening valve 644pushes the filter cake away from the filtration medium and drops thefilter cake into the tank 300. If the filter cells 510 are horizontallyoriented, the filter assembly is rotated by 5 to 90 degrees, and morepreferably to 90 degrees, prior to the introduction of pulse of air, asdiscussed in greater detail below. Alternatively or additionally, avibrating device may be used to vibrate the filter cake off the filtercells 510.

Step 4: Once the filter cake is fully discharged off the filter cells510, the crane 700 moves the filter assembly 20 to above tank 100 tobegin the same operation again.

FIGS. 3-7 show more details of the vacuum transfer system 30. Asillustrated in more detail in FIG. 3, it has been discovered, accordingto an embodiment, that the pressure inside the entire filter system 10can be prevented from surging when valves 652 and 662 switch toopen/close positions by providing a pressure equalization line 414between the vacuum separator 400 and the vacuum transfer system 30, forexample, connecting the highest point of stationary pipe 620 to thehighest point of the vacuum separator 400. The pressure inside thestationary pipe 620 can be regulated through a gradual valve 619. Thevalve 619 regulates the system pressure by controlling the flow ofatmospheric air being sucked through line 621. Since the stationary pipe620 operates under vacuum, and in order to minimize air leakage into thestationary pipe 620, the mobile pipe 610 and rope 634 b slides into andout of the stationary pipe 620 through packing glands 657, 674,respectively. The packing glands 657, 674 are closed cavities filledwith a packing material such as Teflon or graphite pressed by a metalring.

As shown in FIG. 4, the mobile pipe 610 enters into the stationary pipe620 passing through the middle of the packing gland 657. The mobile pipe610 extends to elbow 613 bending at approximately 90 degrees. A hook 601installed on elbow 613 is connected to rope 634 a extending from thewinch 632 shown in FIG. 2. In between the elbow 613 and the elbow 615, afree moving joint 617 is installed in a manner which allows the elbow615 to freely rotate within the horizontal plane as required to relievemechanical shocks created by movement of the filter assembly 20 inbetween tanks 100, 200, 300. The mobile pipe 610 moving out of thestationary pipe 620 slides over wheels 680. Each wheel 680 rotates on ashaft 681 when mobile pipe 610 slides over the wheel 680. The role ofthe wheel 680 is to withstand the weight of the mobile pipe 610 and tofurther absorb mechanical shocks exerted by the movement of the filterassembly 20 shown in FIG. 2.

As shown in FIG. 5, one end of the stationary pipe 620 is closed by ablind flange 638. The packing gland 657 is installed on the blind flange638. The blind flange 638 has a hole at the middle of a size sufficientfor passage of the mobile pipe 610. A gauge 659 or sensor can be used toindicate a vacuum level.

As shown in the exploded view of FIG. 6, the mobile pipe 610 passesthrough the middle of the packing gland 657 comprised of cylindricalcavity 643 filled with rings of packing material 653 pressed upon themobile pipe 610 and held in place by the steel ring 655. The steel ring655 is tightened to the cylindrical cavity 643 by bolts 658. Thecylindrical cavity 643 is connected to a blind flange 651. The blindflange 638 is connected to the stationary pipe 620 by being tightened tothe ring flange 641 by bolts 645 and nuts 646. The ring flange 649connects the packing gland 657 to the blind flange 638 using bolts 635and nut 636. Of course, other types of connectors and packing glands arealso possible.

FIG. 7 shows a top view of the mobile pipe 610, the stationary pipe 620,the filtration tank 100, wash tank 200 and the cake discharge tank 300.As illustrated, the vacuum transfer system 30 is thereby installedbehind the tanks 100, 200, 300 and not on the top of them. This permitsthe free movement of the cranes 700 and the filter assemblies 20 betweenthe tanks 100, 200, 300.

FIG. 8 shows the filter assembly 20 according to an embodiment of theinvention. The filter cells 510 are suspended from the perforated plate520 connected to liquid collector 530 via flexible pipes 536. Theperforated plate 520 has legs 522 connected at its periphery which arelonger than the suspended filter cells 510 so as to prevent the filtercells 510 from touching the bottom of the tanks 100, 200, 300.Preferably, at least three legs 522 are provided spaced about theperiphery. The liquid collector 530 is a cylindrically-shape closedcavity made of a rigid material. On the walls of liquid collector 530connection ports 532 are installed. The number of connection ports 532is equal to the number of flexible pipes 536 connected to respectivefilter cells 510. Each flexible pipe 536 thereby connects a filter cell510 and the liquid collector 530. Preferably, near a lower end of theliquid collector 530, a neck flange 534 is connected. The liquidcollector 530 inlets are the ports 532 and the outlet is the neck flange534. Over the filtration step, the flow of initially air followed byliquid flows into the liquid collector 530 through ports 532 and exitsthrough the neck flange 534 into the flexible pipe 640. The crane hook712 lowered from the crane 700 is passed through the lifting lug 538attached to the top coverage of the liquid collector 530.

FIG. 9A shows details of the perforated plate 520. The perforated plate520 includes holes 502 that are equal in size and equal in distance fromone another. The filter cells 510 are passed through the holes 502 andsuspended from the perforated plate 520. Smaller size holes 504 arepunched around each hole 502. Screws or bolts are passed through holes504 are to securely attach the filter cells 510 to the perforated plate520. Looking at the perforated plate 520 from the top, the holes 502 arearranged in parallel rows. A row on each side of the plate issymmetrical to another row on the other side. The middle portion of theperforated plate 520 can be solid and absent of holes where the liquidcollector 530 is attached.

FIG. 9B shows more details of the vacuum transfer system 30. The mobilepipe 610 is under constant forces exerted by the flexible pipe 640. Partof these forces are dampened by the free moving joints 617 and 618 shownin FIG. 2. To further dampen the forces, the mobile pipe 610 isconnected to wheels 622 via a rod 624. The wheels 622 slide inside rail623 which is fixed in place and positioned above and slightly to theside of the mobile pipe 610. The wheels 622 slide inside the rail 623keeping the mobile pipe 610 on bottom wheels 680.

FIG. 10 shows a front view of one of the filter cells 510. Each filtercell 510 has a closed cavity 524 formed by a round endless wall 517having an outside surface 540, and a full top coverage 516 and a fullbottom coverage 518. A round flange 519 having four holes 521 firmlyconnects the filter cell 510 to the perforated plate 520 using screws orbolts passing through holes 521. The cavity 524 is open to the outsideonly through holes 512 and port 514. A pipe 511 that is preferablyshorter than the wall 517 passes through the top coverage 516 andextends downward, but does not touch, the bottom coverage 518. Theconnection port 514 is installed at the top of the pipe 511 and allowsfor the passage of the filtrate and diluted wash liquor therethrough.The flexible pipe 536 connects to port 514. The flow of air or liquidenters through the holes 512 and exits through the port 514. While onlythree holes 512 are shown in a linear arrangement, other numbers ofholes 512 in other arrangements could also be provided.

FIG. 11 shows details of the filter cells 510. The filter cells 510 arecovered by a first layer of mesh screen 55 made of steel or plastic. Thefirst layer of mesh screen 55 is covered by a second layer of meshscreen 60 of the same or different materials. A band 62 made of plastic,steel or similar materials is wrapped around the mesh screen 55, or bothmesh screens, 55, 60, to firmly maintain the screens 55, 60 around thewall 517. The hole size of mesh screen 60 should preferably be smallerthan the hole size of mesh screen 55. The top mesh screen 60 is coveredby a filter sack 65 made of some type of filter medium, for example,made of fabric, steel, plastic or membrane. The coverings and/or thefilter medium can be any structure capable of holding the solidparticles, while allowing the liquid to pass. The coverings and/orfilter medium can depend, for example, on the type of slurry or the sizeof the solid particles being filtered.

FIG. 12 is an exploded view of the filter cell 510 of FIG. 11. Eachfilter cell 510 includes the wall 517 enclosing the interior cavity 524.

FIG. 13 shows a perspective view of the filter assembly 20 suspendedinside the filtration tank 100. As illustrated, each filter cell 510 issecurely attached by nut and bolt to the perforated plate 520. Theliquid portion of the slurry is sucked by the power of vacuum into theliquid collector 530 through the flexible pipes 536 and exits throughthe single flexible pipe 640. Other arrangements which support filtercells 510 and collect the liquid passing therethrough are also withinthe scope of the invention.

FIG. 14 shows a perspective view of the filter assembly 20 suspendedfrom the crane 700. The legs 522 of the perforated plate 520 are longerthan the filter cells 510 so the filter cells 510 are prevented fromtouching the bottom of the tanks 100, 200.

Referring now to FIG. 15, a method of filtering according to anembodiment of the invention is shown.

In a step S1, the filter assembly 20 gets lowered down by the crane 700into the filtration tank 100 while the vacuum to the filter cells 510 iscut off by the valve 642. The legs 522 of the perforated plate 520 reston the bottom of the filtration tank 100. The filtration tank is eitheralready filled, is filled at the same time as lowering or is filledafter the lowering with slurry.

In a step S2, filtering is performed by maintaining the vacuum on thefilter cells 510 for a period time, for example approximately one tothree minutes. However, this time can vary depending on the type ofslurry. Filtering can be overseen by an operator who can open up thevalve 642 initiating the filtration cycle at an appropriate time.Preferably, however, the movement of the filter assembly 20 and theopening closing of valves 642, 644, 652, 662 is automated.

At the same time, the filtrate is withdrawn in a step S10 by the forceof vacuum to chamber A of the vacuum separator 400. During this time,the valve 652 is open and the valve 662 is closed.

In a step S3, after the time for filtering has elapsed, the crane 700pulls the filter assembly 20 out of filtration tank 100 and moves itabove the wash tank 200. As the filter assembly 20 goes from thefiltration tank 100 to the wash tank 200, the operator or control systemmay make any necessary adjustment to the position of a vacuum supplyingflexible pipe 640 as necessary. The crane 700 then lowers the filterassembly 20 down into the wash 200 until the filter cells 510 loadedwith the filter cake are fully submerged in the wash liquor.

In a step S4, the filter cells 510 are left inside the wash tank 200 fora period of time, for example approximately the same one to threeminutes. During this time, washing of the filter cake takes place.

At the same time, the diluted wash liquor is withdrawn in a step S11 bythe force of vacuum to chamber B of the vacuum separator 400. Duringthis time, the valve 662 is open and the valve 652 is closed.

In a step S5, after completion of the washing, the crane 700 pulls thefilter assembly 20 up and moves it to above the cake discharge tank 300.Further filtering stages are also possible as discussed herein.

In a step S6, the filter cake may be held for a period of time to allowfurther drying prior to discharge.

In a step S7, the flow of vacuum to the filter cells is cut off byclosing the valve 642, followed by opening the block valve 644positioned on the pressurized air supply line for a short time tointroduce an air pulse. The air pulse causes the filter cake to dropinto the cake discharge tank 300. Other than this step S7, the vacuum ispreferably continuously applied throughout the process.

In an optional step S12, water or another appropriate liquid is added ifnecessary to the cake discharge tank 300 so that the cakes are broughtto a slurry form by the top entry agitator 350. The thick slurry fromthe cake discharge tank 300 is pumped out to the next operational stageby a pump in a step S13.

In a step S8, the crane 700, or for example another alternativecontinuous transport device which is being used in place of the crane700, moves the filter assembly 20 back to the top of the filtration tank100 and repeats the process. Other than when discharging the filtercake, the vacuum is applied to the filter assembly 20 throughout. Theoperator or control system may reposition the vacuum supplying flexiblepipe 640 as necessary whenever the filter assembly 20 moves from onetank to the next.

Example

In one exemplary embodiment of the invention, a filter system 10, whichwas also prepared as a prototype, has the following specifications:

Net filtration area: 1 square meter spread over 10 filter cells each11.4 centimeter in outside diameter and 30 centimeters in length.

Filtration media: micron size fabric made of polypropylene

Vacuum: 60 cubic meter per hour supplied by a water ring vacuum pump.

Operating vacuum pressure: 0.5 bar absolute.

Crane lifting capacity: 200 kg.

Filtration tank and wash tank: 0.5 meters in inside diameter and 0.5meters in length.

Cake discharge tank: 1 meters in outside diameter and 1 meters inlength.

The mobile pipe 610 supplying vacuum suction was a 2 inch steel pipe andthe stationary pipe 620 was a 4 inch steel pipe. The connection of themobile pipe 610 to the filter assembly 20, e.g., the flexible pipe 640,was a 2 inch flexible pipe made of high quality plastic materials. Theconnection pipes from the stationary pipe 620 to the vacuum separator400 were 2 inch regular steel pipes. The vacuum separator 400 was madeof carbon steel having 0.5 meters in outside diameter and 1.5 meters inlength partitioned into two equally spaced chambers. This embodiment wasused for filtration of freshly manufactured commodity detergent gradezeolite 4A slurry having approximately 20% solid and approximately 10%in caustic soda (NaOH) concentration and 60 degrees centigrade intemperature. The specific gravity of the zeolite slurry was 1.1. In onecomplete sequence of filtration, including solid take-up, wash and cakedischarge, 175 liters of the slurry was filtered followed by 32kilograms of washing with pure water. The filtration and wash took 2.75minutes and 1.75 minutes, respectively. The elapsed time in betweenfiltration, wash and cake discharge, and for return of the filterassembly 20 back to filtration vessel 100 for the start of a new cycletook 1.5 minutes. As a result, the net filtration cycle took 6 minutes.The filtrate and diluted wash liquor after complete mixing showed 7.5%in NaOH concentration.

To provide a comparison, 175 liters of the same detergent grade zeolite4A slurry was filtered and washed until the same quality cake wasobtained using a conventional rotary vacuum drum filter operating underequal vacuum force and having the same1 square meters in filtrationarea. It was surprisingly found that, compared to the conventionalrotary vacuum drum filter, the filter system 10 according to theexemplary embodiment described above consumed six times less wash water.

Accordingly, utilizing the surprisingly low cycle times achievable bythe present invention, a batch, continuous or semi-continuous filteringcan be performed as with other vacuum filters, but with greatlyincreased speed and reduced operating cost. Moreover, embodiments of thepresent invention are also simpler and easier to produce than othertypes of conventional vacuum filters, and offer other advantages interms of quality of the filter cake, purity of the filtrate andversatility for a number of different applications as discussed herein.Other advantages of different embodiments of the present invention aredescribed in the following.

Changing the Two-Way Crane to a Four-Way Crane:

In an embodiment, the crane 700 introduced in FIG. 2 can roll inside thecrane rail 709 only in two opposite directions within the horizontalplane. Instead, the crane 700 can be replaced with a crane capable ofmoving within the horizontal plane in four directions by replacing thestationary rail 709 with one mobile rail. This is a popular crane designfor industrial shelters. This type of crane is hereinafter referred toas a “four-way crane.” The four-way crane allows the filter assembly 20to reach a greater number of tanks. Using the filter system for multipleback-washing:

Using the filter system 10 according to an embodiment of the invention,the number of washing stages may be more than one stage, for example upto seven or eight stages, or more depending on the application. Thestaged washing can be done within the ordinary distance that the crane700 covers, or the crane 700 and vacuum transfer system 30 can be madeto travel to further wash stages. The word “wash” as used in herein mayalso be understood as as “back-wash.” In the filtration and thickeningindustry, the term back-wash usually applies to washing a solid with aliquid partially contaminated with one or more components that aresupposed to be removed to a certain degree from the cake. In contrast toknown systems which in most cases do not provide more than three washingstages, embodiments of the invention are capable of performing up toseven or eight, or more wash/back-wash cycles on a single cake. Inback-washing according to an embodiment of the invention, the cake iswashed in multiple stages by diluted wash liquor from the previous washstep and only in the last wash step is fresh wash liquor is used. Usingthis arrangement, it was surprisingly found that any additional washstage above one stage nearly reduced the overall required amount of washliquor by approximately 50%, with increasing returns with the increasingnumber of stages.

FIG. 16 shows a top view of an alternative layout of the filter system10 from above according to another embodiment of the invention in whichthe vacuum transfer system 30 is positioned at the middle of two rows oftanks, as compared to the single row of tanks in the embodiment of FIG.7. Advantageously, the mobile pipe 610 needs to only travel the samedistance as shown in FIG. 7 to transfer the vacuum as the filterassembly 20 moves among a greater number of tanks. This configurationallows the filter cake to be washed/back-washed in multiple stagesinstead of just the single stage shown in the exemplary embodiment ofFIG. 2. According to this embodiment, additional washing stages can beprovided without changing the size of the vacuum transfer system 30.Additional rows or further washing stages could be provided on eitherside as well with modifications to the vacuum system 30 and/or the typeof vacuum system or transport device. This embodiment of the inventionincludes filtration tank 100, four wash tanks 200A, 200B, 200C, 200D, aswell as the cake discharge tank 300. In this embodiment, the crane 700is a four-way crane.

FIG. 17 shows a side view of an alternative design of the filter system20 introduced in FIG. 16. In this configuration, the vacuum separatortank 400 is partitioned into five chambers A-E, instead of the twochambers A, B introduced in FIG. 2. Chamber A is for collecting thefiltrate being sucked from filtration tank 100. Chambers B-E are forcollecting the diluted wash liquor being sucked from wash tanks 200A,200B, 200C, 200D, respectively. During any step of the filter operation,only one of the valves 652-655 positioned in between the stationary pipe620 and the various chambers A-E of vacuum separator 400 is open and theremaining ones of the valves controlling the flow to the vacuumseparator 40 are closed. The filtrate and diluted wash liquor collectedin separate chambers A-E of the vacuum separator 400 are preferablypumped out using separate pumps.

FIG. 18 shows all of the tanks 100, 200A-D, 300 involved with theembodiment introduced in FIGS. 16 and 17. For simplicity, the tanks 100,200A-D, 300 are shown in a single row, however, other arrangements suchas a preferred one shown in FIG. 16 may be used. In this embodiment, theorder of filling the tanks 100, 200A-D, 300 is based on the assumptionthat the filter assembly moves among the tanks in the order of 100 to200A to 200B to 200C to 200D to 300. Filtration tank 100 receives theslurry feed and the cake discharge tank 300 is where the filter cakegets dropped off. The fresh wash liquor is introduced in wash tank 200D.Based on the embodiment shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the four stages ofback-washing is practiced in which the filter cake and the wash liquormove counter-currently, thereby providing a surprisingly high qualitywash with a reduced overall consumption of fresh wash liquor. Inparticular, a four stage back-wash requires in total only aboutone-fourth the amount of wash liquor as a single-stage wash.

Dual Horizontal and Vertical Movement of the Vacuum Supply System:

In theory, a maximum vacuum could be as low as −760 mmHg, equal to onebar in negative absolute atmospheric pressure at sea level. Ignoring thefrictional losses inside the pipes and fittings, this degree of vacuumwould be capable of pulling pure water with a specific gravity of oneabout ten meters up inside a vertical pipe. Therefore, in theory, thelength of the vertical version of filter cells 510 might be increased upto about ten meters if the liquid to be pulled up by force of vacuumwould be water or lighter fluids. However, ten meters in cell lengthwould not feasible for the following reasons:

a. The vacuum cannot reach the absolute negative pressure by a waterring vacuum pump (needs very cold water to pass through the pump).

b. The specific gravity of fluid to be pulled is above one in manyapplications.

c. There are frictional losses through the piping and fittings.

d. Many slurry fluids are hot and start to vaporize upon exposure tolower pressures. The vapor coming off this evaporation fills up thevacuum pump capacity and can result in problems such as cake drop-off.

e. The length of flexible pipe 640 as shown in FIG. 2 must beproportionally longer to accommodate vacuum to the filter cells 510 asthey are lifted off the filtration and wash tanks 100, 200 and has tomove in between the tanks 100, 200, 300. If the length of the flexiblepipe 640 exceeds a certain number, for example, more than half thediameter of the tanks 100, 200, then the mechanical shocks exerted bythe flexible pipe 640 could quickly lead to damage to the vacuumtransfer system 30 and the flexible pipe 640 itself.

Nevertheless, despite all the problems mentioned above, it wasdiscovered that the cell height can still be significantly increased inembodiments of the invention provided that the following conditions aremet:

a. The pressure drop is minimized by proper sizing of the piping andfittings.

b. A liquid spray condenser is installed downstream of the vacuumseparator 400 before the vacuum pump.

c. A continuous water cooling system is installed in conjunction withthe water ring vacuum pump. The foregoing components can individually orall be added in embodiments of the invention to pull the vacuum tohigher negative pressures, thereby advantageously allowing for a largerfiltration area, making a drier cake and saving on utilities andoperating costs.

d. To avoid the increase mechanical shocks on the vacuum system, theflexible pipe 640 is collected and released by a roller (for example, ina manner such as wrapping a fire water hose around a wheel) as thefilter assembly 20 is lowered and lifted into and out of the tanks 100,200. As the size of filter system 10 becomes larger, so does thediameter of the flexible pipe 640 and as a result makes it more and moredifficult to be wrapped around a wheel. To overcome this problem, a dualaction vacuum transfer system 30 is provided according to an embodimentof the invention that is capable of moving in a vertical plane, as wellas horizontally. This can be achieved in many ways including oneembodiment detailed in FIG. 19.

FIG. 19 shows a dual action vacuum system in which two of the vacuumsystems 30 shown in FIG. 3 are integrated into a single vacuum system.One vacuum transfer system 30 is positioned in the vertical plane andperpendicular to the other vacuum transfer system 30 that is positionedin horizontal plane. The vacuum transfer system 30 in the horizontalplane is stationary while the vacuum transfer system 30 in the verticalplane can be lifted while the vacuum is maintained over the filter cells510. Accordingly, the vacuum can be maintained while moving through thesteps of the filtration, wash and cake-discharge. The stationary pipe620, mobile pipe 610 and all related equipment including the winch 632(explained above with regard to FIG. 2) are moved in a vertical plane bythe force of a separate hydraulic, pneumatic or another winch or crane.This allows another mobile pipe 695 to slide inside another stationarypipe 693. There are lines from inside the stationary pipe 693 to thepartitioned vacuum separator 400 which include valves 652, 662 in acorresponding manner to the embodiment of FIG. 2. To minimize theleakage of atmospheric air into the filtration system, the mobile pipe695 enters into the stationary pipe 693 passing through middle of thepacking gland 690. Packing gland 690 is of the same design of packinggland 657 as explained above. Since the vacuum transfer system 30 mustbe lifted in this embodiment, the pressure equalization line 414 extendsfrom the vacuum transfer system positioned in the vertical planeseparator 400 positioned below.

This vertical movement of the vacuum transfer system 30 allows for theuse of filter cells 510 having lengths up to at least six meters for theapplication explained within the example above, which is four timeslonger than the one and a half meter length used in the exampledescribed above with applying higher vacuum levels above 0.5 barabsolute. The filtration area is directly proportional to the filtercell height. As a result, the vertical movement of vacuum transfersystem 30 automatically translates to larger filtration area, fasterfiltration rates and more savings on costs and space.

Horizontal Filter Cells:

While the embodiments of the filter cells 510 with a verticalorientation discussed above provide a number of advantages, the force ofvacuum must fight the force of gravity. First, this can result in lesscompression and dewatering of liquid off the cake, thereby producing awetter and looser cake that may not be fully desirable in someapplications. Second, if the flow of vacuum is disturbed for any reason,the cake can get dropped where and when it should not. This event cancause a serious operational obstacle, e.g., in large mining industries.This problem can be avoided to some degree in accordance with anembodiment of the invention by placing a large empty closed vessel onthe vacuum line to act as a surge vacuum drum when is needed.

Another embodiment of the invention addresses the two problems mentionedabove and advantageously obtains an even larger filtration area per unitvolume through the use of horizontal filter cells. The filtration mediain the horizontal filter cells can be similar to the filtration mediaused in horizontal plate filters. An embodiment of the filter systemusing horizontal filter cells has the following features:

1. Corresponding features to other embodiments the filter system, exceptfor the filter cells 510.

2. Compresses and dries the cake to a significantly higher degree thanpossible with known prior art vacuum systems.

3. Avoids undesirable drop-off of the filter cake.

4. At equal spacing, the horizontal filter cells can offer greaterfiltration area.

According to an embodiment, the operation of the filter system with thehorizontal filter cells includes rotating the filter assembly 20 bybetween 5 to 90 degrees and more preferably 90 degrees prior tointroducing an air pulse for the purpose of cake discharge. Aside from adifferent shape of the filtration media, liquid manifold design and cakedischarge principle, the filter system with the horizontal filter cellscan use the remaining equipment of the filter system 10 according to theembodiments with the vertical filter cells 510. The horizontal filter ofthe invention has no filter cells suspended from a perforated sheet.Instead of filter cells 510 suspended from the perforated plate 520, thefilter cells 510 are, for example, filtration plates vertically stackedon top of each other. The plates may come in a number of differentgeometric shapes. The plates are connected through short flexible tubesto a liquid collector, for example, embodied as a vertical manifold. Thevertical manifold is connected to a vacuum transfer system 30 via aflexible pipe 640 as described above.

FIG. 20 is a schematic view of another embodiment of the filter system10 using horizontal filter cells 510. This embodiment also includes anadditional optional step of clarification which can also be performed inthe embodiments described above. In addition to the tanks 100, 200, 300,an additional tank 150 is provided, preferably situated in a single row.Tanks 100, 200, 300 and 150 are cylindrical and closed on the side andbottom, while being fully open at the top. While a cylindrical shape ispreferred, as long as the tanks 100, 200, 200, 300, 150 are sufficientlyopen at the top and closed at the sides and bottom, or otherwise able tocontain liquid and receive the filter assemblies, they could be in anyshape, including rectangular. Tank 100 receives the slurry to befiltered. The side-entry agitator 110 is used for maintaining the slurryin suspension. The agitator 110 may also be replaced with a top-entry ora bottom-entry agitator installed at a side as well. The wash liquorused for washing the filter cake is received and stored in tank 200 andthe filter cake is discharged into tank 300 and can be re-slurried bythe help of top-entry agitator 350, which could also be a bottom- orside-entry agitator as well. If required, the tank 200 could also beequipped with a top, bottom or side-entry agitator. The agitator 350installed on tank 300 can re-slurry the cake into a thick, but stillpumpable slurry. A hopper equipped with a belt or screw type conveyorcan also be used instead of tank 300. Alternatively or additionally, thecake can be dropped in the back of a trailer truck or container to wasteif required by the application.

Vacuum separator 400 is a gas-liquid separator, preferably ofcylindrical in shape and horizontal in layout, operated under vacuum,closed at both ends and partitioned in chambers A, B and C. The chambersA, B, C operate under equal pressure, for example, by being open to oneanother slightly at the top. The vacuum is generated and maintained byconnecting the vacuum separator to an external vacuum source. The vacuumsource is preferably a water ring vacuum pump, but can be use othersources of vacuum, such as a steam ejector.

In the embodiment of FIG. 20, the movement of the crane 700 and thecomponents thereof corresponds to the embodiment of FIG. 2, as does theoperation, components and movement of the vacuum transfer system 30.Crane 700 hangs from crane rail 709 for holding, lowering and raisingthe filter assembly 20, and for moving the filter assembly 20 along theline of tanks 100, 200, 150 and 300 while the crane 700 itself slidesinside rail 709. Other lifting devices such as a hydraulic or pneumaticjack could be used instead of the crane 700. The vacuum transfer system30, as above, is a vacuum transfer device that transfers the vacuum fromthe vacuum separator 400 to the filter assembly 20, and maintains thevacuum when and where it is necessary or desired as the filter assembly20 gets moved by the crane 700. In addition, the vacuum transfer system30 directs the filtrate and diluted wash liquor to the vacuum separator400. The vacuum can be applied to perform the filtering, at leastpartially, to perform the washing, to retain the cake during movementand/or to dry the cake. For the sake of simplicity the winch 632 andassociated components are omitted in FIG. 20, but can correspond to theembodiment of FIG. 2.

Also as in the embodiment of FIG. 2, a flexible pipe 640 can transferthe vacuum from the vacuum transfer system 30 to the plural of saidfilter cells and maintain the vacuum as the filter assembly 20 is movedby the crane 700 along the line of tanks 100, 200 and 300 when and whereit is necessary or desired. A block valve 642 cuts in and out andregulates vacuum pressure to the filter assembly 20. A block valve 644cuts in and out pulses of pressurized air into the filter assembly 20when and where it is desired, for example to discharge the filter cake,as the filter assembly 20 is moved by the crane 700. An air hose 12 canmove along with the vacuum transfer system 30 to supply pressurized airto the valve 644. Two block valves 652, 662 are installed on theconnecting lines in between the vacuum transfer system 30 and the vacuumseparator 400. Only one of the valves 652, 662 is in an open position ata given time. Filtrate passes through valve 652 ending in chamber A anddiluted wash liquor passes through valve 662 ending in chamber B. Avacuum balance line, such as line 414 in the embodiment of FIG. 2, ispreferably connected in between vacuum transfer system 30 and tank 400.Also as in the embodiment of FIG. 2, a gradual valve 618 can beconnected to the top of vacuum transfer system 30 to control the vacuumpressure inside the entire filter system 10 by regulating an addition orrelease of air.

Tank 150 receives and stores filtrate liquid containing residual solidsthat have carried over from tank 100. The same or a different filterassembly 20 can refine the filtrate from any residual solid to produce aclarified filtrate. However, here the clarified filtrate is transferredthrough pipe 32 to chamber C of the vacuum separator 400 and from thechamber C to the next processing step. Pump 25, preferably a centrifugalpump, transfers the filtrate to be clarified contained in chamber A tothe tank 150 via pipe 5. A valve 35 can be installed in pipe 32. Pump 27transfers the diluted wash liquor contained in chamber B and pump 29transfers the clarified filtrate contained in chamber C, for example toan outside destination. Pump 31 can be used to transfer the thick slurryout of tank 300 to an outside destination as well. Pumps 27, 29 arepreferably centrifugal pumps. Pump 31 could be a centrifugal or helicalpump, but is preferably a piston-type pump.

A batch filtration process according to an embodiment of the inventioncan be performed by the filter system 10 of FIG. 20 by the followingsteps:

Step 1: Crane 700 lowers the filter assembly 20 into the tank 100 whilevalve 642 is closed such that no vacuum is exerted through the filtercells 510. Once the filter medium of the filter cells 510 reaches belowthe liquid level, the vacuum is introduced into the filter cells 510 byopening valve 642. Initially, any air trapped within the filter cells510 and the connecting pipes would be sucked out followed by removal ofthe liquid portion of the slurry in the form of filtrate directedthrough the vacuum transfer system 30 to chamber A passing through valve552 which is in an open position over this step. Flow of slurrycontinuously fills tank 100 keeping the level of slurry above the filtermedium over the entire duration of this step. The filter assembly 20 ismaintained in the tank 100 for a time sufficient to allow for build-upof a filter cake to a desired thickness. This timing may vary from a fewseconds up to hours depending on the application. Once a filter cakewith desired thickness is formed on the filter cells, crane 700 liftsthe filter assembly 20 out of tank 100 and holds the filter assembly 20above the tank 100 while applying the vacuum continuously or for a timesufficient to extract all or a desired portion of the liquid trappedinside the filter cake. The valve 642 may be used for regulating thevacuum over the entire duration of filtration and the following stepsuntil the filter cake gets discharged, for example, while filtering,washing and/or moving, either periodically or continuously. The vacuumpressure may be regulated as desired depending on the application tooptimize filtration and wash, in addition to maximizing the dewatering(extraction of residual liquid off the cake) and minimizing cracking ofthe filter cake and other undesirable changes to the properties of thefilter cake. The horizontal arrangement of the filter cells 510 in thisembodiment even allows for the possibility to completely cut-off of thevacuum at any time without resulting in a drop-off of the filter cakefrom the filter medium.

Step 2: After filtering, crane 700 then moves the filter assembly 20 toabove tank 200 and lowers the filter cells 510 to below the liquid levelof wash liquor which has preferably already been provided in tank 200.Over this step, wash liquor is passed through the filter cake by thevacuum from vacuum transfer system 30 so as to displace the motherliquor out of the filter cake in a piston-type manner. The diluted washliquor is then directed via flexible pipe 640 to vacuum transfer system30 and thereafter passes through valve 662 to chamber B. As a result,the cake is washed-off of any residual component and solvents with aminimum consumption of wash liquor. A flow of fresh wash liquorpreferably continuously fills tank 200 to maintain the liquid levelabove the filter medium over the entire duration of this step. Theduration of this step can be tuned to optimize wash quality, whileminimizing consumption of wash liquor. The timing of this step may againvary from a few seconds to hours depending on the application.

Step 3: After cake-washing, crane 700 lifts the filter assembly 20 fromtank 200 and moves it to above tank 300. Over this step, the flow ofvacuum can be further maintained or periodically applied to withdraw thewash liquor out of the cake and thereby provide a dry cake having adesired moisture level. The timing can be tuned to optimize qualitycake. Then, the cake gets discharged off the filter cells 510. Tofacilitate this, the entire filter assembly 20 or the filter cells 510can be rotated by 5 to 90 degrees, preferably to 90 degrees, followed byclosing valve 642 and opening valve 644 for a time duration ranging froma fraction of a second up to a few minutes. The pulse of pressurized airgenerated from opening valve 644 pushes the filter cake away from thefilter medium and causes the cake to drop into the tank 300. Therotation can be accomplished in a number of ways, for example, byproviding corresponding components on the filter assembly 20 and thetank 300 specifically designed for this purpose. Alternatively oradditionally, a vibrating device could be used on the filter assembly 20facilitate drop-off.

Step 4: Once the filter cake is fully discharged off the filter cells510, the crane 700 moves the filter assembly 20 back to above tank 100and repeats Steps 1-3.

Optional Step 5: To clean the filtrate accumulated in chamber A from anyresidual solids carried over from tank 100, a clarification can beperformed. While the filtration itself is a batch process in thisembodiment, the clarification may be performed in batch or continuously.Filtrate is pumped from chamber A of tank 400 via pipe 5 and pump 25 tothe tank 150. Tank 150 has a filter assembly 20, for example, withhorizontal filter cells 510. The filter assembly 20 is connected tochamber C via pipe 32 passing through valve 35. During clarification,the filter cells 510 are always maintained below the liquid level intank 150. When valve 35 is opened, a vacuum is introduced into thefilter cells 510, thereby establishing a flow of clarified filtratethrough the filter medium, on which the residual solids accumulate.Depending on the application, the filter medium used for theclarification process could be made of paper, membrane, fabric, steelfabric, plastic, ceramic, sintered alumina or any other mediumsufficient to separate the residual solids from the filtrate. The choiceof horizontal filter cells 510 allows for batch operation of theclarification process. In this case, when vacuum is cut off to thefilter assembly 20, the filter cake that is already formed on the filtermedium can still be supported and will not drop off. Once the filtercakes formed on the filter cells 510 reach a desired thickness, thevacuum from line 32 can be disconnected and the filter assembly 20 canbe lifted by crane 700, or via an additional crane installed for thisoperation, and then dumped into tank 300 in the same manner describedabove. Clarified filtrate is pumped out of chamber C via pump 29. Thediluted wash liquor is pumped out of chamber B via pump 27. Thick slurryis pumped out of tank 300 via pump 31.

FIG. 21 shows additional details of the filter assembly 20 of FIG. 20with the horizontal filter cells 510. The filter medium used by thefilter cells 510 may include fabric, plastic, membrane, ceramics,sintered alumina or any type of medium that allows the liquid to passthrough while retaining the solids. In the embodiment shown, threefilter cells 510 are stacked vertically on top of one another with aspacing 13 in between. The filter cells 510 are affixed to four legs,here including three legs 51 and one leg 53. Each filter cell 510 isconnected via a flexible pipe 15 to the liquid collector 530. The liquidcollector 530 is a closed cavity which, in this embodiment, ispositioned vertically parallel to a hypothetical line passing throughthe center of the filter cells. The liquid collector 530 has a number ofinlets 19 equal to the number of filter cells and one outlet 21preferably at the top that extends to a free moving joint 23 that alsoacts as a 90 degrees elbow which extends to a raised face flange 26. Theflange connects to the flexible pipe 640 (see FIG. 20). The three legs51 are preferably rigidly connected to form one piece of rigid material.The one leg 53 is comprised of pieces of rigid material 33 attached toone another via flanges 38. The flanges 38 are bolted together usingbolts and nuts. Brackets 39 can be used to attach the filter cells 510to the legs 51, 53, for example, by bolting them to about equal sizebrackets 37 extending from the legs 51, 53. The leg 53, while partiallywithstanding the weight of the filter cells 11, allows for independentremoval and exchange of individual filter cells 510 without requiringremoval of other filter cells. This arrangement is especiallyadvantageous for avoiding downtime and high maintenance costs. Each leg51, 53 includes a ring 14 at the top, to which a rope can be attachedfor lifting and moving the filter assembly 20. As used herein, the ropecan be any type of line, chain or cable. Rigid connectors would also bepossible in some embodiments. As shown in FIG. 22, a chain 16 isattached to rings 14 passes over the hook 18. The hook 18 hangs from acrane rope 702 (see FIG. 20). A belt 24 can be used to rigidly securethe legs 51 to one another.

FIGS. 23-25 show more details of each filter cell 510 of the horizontaltype. As shown in FIG. 23, each filter cell 510 is comprised of a bottomplate 66 of preferably round shape attached and completely sealed at theoutside by an outer ring 70 and inner ring 68 preferably equal inheight. As a result, a cavity 72 is created in a space between the innerring 68, outer ring 70 and bottom plate 66. The bottom plate 66 isattached to four brackets 39 each having a hole 36 at the middle. Thereis a hole through the inner ring 68 that extends at the same locationthrough outer ring 70. A connection port 45 passes through the holes andis completely sealed around with both rings 68 and 70. The bottom plate66 together with the inner ring 68 creates a cavity 74 that is open atthe top and closed at the bottom and sides. The cavity 74 is filled withpacking materials 76 (see FIG. 24), preferably made of mesh screens, andis covered with a perforated plate 78 (see FIG. 25). The perforatedplate 78 is bent at its outer edge and pressed into the cavity 72. Theperforated plate 78 is covered with a filter medium 80, which in thisembodiment is made of a small pore size fabric. The filter medium 80 isalso pressed into the cavity 72 and then fully sealed inside the cavity72 with a packing ring 82 (see FIG. 24) installed on the filtrationmedium 80. The filtration medium 80 may also be covered by wire meshscreens to further protect the filter medium 80 against the pulse ofpressurized air. In addition, the filter cells 510 could be built in onepiece, similar to membrane plates in filter presses, or could be made ofceramics, sintered alumina or any type of material suitable for passingthe liquid while retaining the solids.

FIG. 26 shows a bottom view of the filter assembly 20 from theembodiment of FIG. 20. A bottom plate 84 can be rigidly attached to thelegs 51, 53. Beneath the plate 84, one or more brackets 86 are attached.Each bracket 86 is attached to the plate 84 at one end and at the otherend is cut in the middle into a recessed groove 88 in the shape of ahalf circle. Depending on the size of the plate 84, a plurality of thebrackets 86 can be attached in parallel. To complete discharge of thefilter cake from the filter cells 510, the filter assembly 20 isrotatable from 5 up to 90 degrees, and preferably 90 degrees, prior tothe introduction of the pulse of pressurized air so the filter cakefalls down by the force of gravity. Referring now to FIGS. 27 and 28,the rotation is accomplished in one embodiment by placing the grooves 88of the brackets 86 on a stationary shaft 57 and causing the entirefilter assembly 20 to rotate around the stationary shaft 57 prior to theintroduction of air pulse. As shown in FIG. 27, the cake discharge tank300 is been equipped with the shaft 57, attached to the tank 300 by twoside members 59. As shown in FIG. 28, the filter assembly 20 is lowereddown on the top of tank 300 so the shaft 57 engages into groves 88.Further lowering of the filter assembly 20 then causes the filterassembly 20 to rotate around the shaft 57 so that the filter cells 510are tilted toward the inside of tank 300.

FIG. 29 shows more details of the liquid collector 530 of the embodimentof FIG. 20. The liquid collector 530 has a closed cavity 71 with innerwall 61 and outer wall 63, closed at the bottom by plate 65 and at thetop by plate 67. Inlet ports 19 each connect to a filter cell 510,preferably via a flexible pipe. A pipe 69 that is smaller in diameterthan the cavity 71 is inserted into the cavity 71 through the middle oftop cover plate 67 and ends above, but near to the bottom plate 65. Thepipe 69 is sealed where it passes through the top plate 67. The pipe 69outside of the closed cavity 71 ends at an outlet connection port 21.The connection port 21 is then connected to a 90 degrees elbow 23. Theelbow is made to freely move within the horizontal plane. The elbow 23extends to flange 26 and then to flexible pipe 640 (See FIG. 20).

The sequence of operation of the filter system 10 with the horizontalfilter cells 510 can be similar, but not fully the same as when thefilter cells 510 are vertical. When horizontal filter cells 510 areused, the vacuum to can be reduced to a relatively lower degree, or evencompletely cut off, if desired, at any time over the period that thefilter assembly 20 moves between filtration, wash and discharge stages.On the contrary, when vertical filter cells 510 are used, the force ofvacuum must fight the force of gravity to retain the filter cake at alltimes. In addition, at equal filtration medium and filtrationconditions, a filter cake having lower moisture is obtained, if thefilter cells 510 are of the horizontal type.

Pressure Filtration:

Pressure filtration is commonly used for removing very small particlesin low concentrations from viscous and non-viscous solutions. Anotheradvantage of pressure filtration is that it produces drier filter cakes.However, low capacity, leakage and high cost are some majordisadvantages of the pressure filters. In addition, known pressurefilters typically do not provide a reasonable filtration rate.

According to an embodiment of the invention, a filter system and methodare provided which provides for the advantages of pressure filtrationwithout the disadvantages and with a surprisingly high filtration rate.In particular, the filter system provides the high filtration rate, iscapable of performing filter cake washing, can be operated in acontinuous or at least semi-continuous manner and is not complex (andtherefore inexpensive).

According to this embodiment, filtration occurs inside a pressurizedtank. This embodiment applies to all of the embodiments described above,in particular with vertical or horizontal filter cells, and preferablywith horizontal filter plates. The wash may also take place inside apressurized tank as well. The filter system, as in the embodiments aboveis also associated with a lifting/transport device, such as the crane700, and also includes a vacuum system 30 such as the mobile systemdescribed above.

In order to be able to move the filter assembly 20 between the tankswhile continuously applying vacuum to retain the filter cakes, and atthe same being able to pressurize the tanks while the filter cells aredisposed therein, the caps of the tanks are installed on the top of thefilter assembly 20 and are designed so that they can be easily assembledand disassembled quickly to the shell of the pressurized tanks. Inparticular, the cap and perforated plate or frame for hoisting can beformed from a few pieces and then assembled to one piece. Oneadvantageous way to seal the joint of the cap and the shell would beusing a pressurized water hose, though other seals could also be used.The shell and cap can be flange-connected, preferably usingquick-connect clamps. As in the embodiments described above, thefiltrate and diluted wash liquor can be transported to a separator whichoperates using vacuum.

The filtration cycle may start with pressure and vacuum simultaneously,for example, to purge air from the filter cells or so that the cake doesnot get dropped off the filtration media. Over the wash cycle, vacuum ispreferably maintained throughout. The cake discharge step can beperformed as described in the embodiments above (e.g., using a pulse ofair), and, for example, including rotating the filter cells by 90degrees where horizontal filter cells are used.

Performing Exceptional Wash:

The most efficient cake-washing takes place when the wash liquorreplaces the mother liquor trapped inside a cake. According to knownvacuum filter systems, the wash liquor is sprayed over the cake andpasses along with air through the cake. In so doing, some of the washliquor replaces the mother liquor, but mostly the wash liquor simplypasses through the filter cake just diluting the mother liquor in thecake. In contrast, embodiments of the filter of the invention produce afilter cake that is not compressed or disturbed and so can surprisinglyachieve a total or near total replacement of mother liquor by the washliquor in a surprisingly quick and efficient manner compared to theknown vacuum filter systems.

Specifically, it has been found that washing performed according to theembodiments described above with the filter system of the invention, inwhich the power of the vacuum is utilized in passing the wash liquorthrough the filter cakes, in contrast to spraying, provides surprisinglyquick and effective washing, while also consuming significantly lesswash liquor, as discussed above.

Uses for Large Filtration Area, Low Production Cost and/or MinimalMaintenance:

Another significant advantage of embodiments of the invention is thereduction in capital investment compared to known filter systems, bothvacuum and pressure. One reason for this is the ability to produce afilter system which does not have an excessive number of parts, usesparts of simple construction and can be assembled quickly and easily.Expensive equipment such as pressure vessels are also not necessary insome embodiments. In different embodiments, the crane 700 can bereplaced with hydraulic jacks in a large scale filter system andpneumatic jacks in a smaller filter system, thereby offering versatilityto numerous applications. For example, the small scale filter system maymost be appropriate in the pharmaceutical industry, while the largerscale filter system can find applications in the chemical and miningindustries. Additionally, it has been found that the filter systemaccording to embodiments of the invention cost less to maintain and issuited to a quick overhaul. In fact, an overhaul may take less than oneday because all parts may have spares and can easily be changed out.

Using the Filter of the Invention as an Solvent Exchange Device:

In embodiments of the filter system of the invention, the immediatedischarge of cake following the final wash stage is optional. Instead,the cake may go through one or more solvent exchange cycles beforegetting discharged. One option for doing solvent exchange is to make ahomogeneous mixture of solids and the solvent exchange solution allowingthe ion concentration inside the solid and liquid to come to some levelof equilibrium. This step is usually followed by separation of solidsand liquid by a next filtration stage. In the prior art, this step mustusually be done many times over and over again to completely replace thesolvents subject of exchange. For the same reasons that the wash usingembodiments of the filter system of the invention is significantlyfaster and more efficient, the solvent exchange is also most efficientlyhandled when liquid replacement occurs as described above. Accordingly,embodiments of the invention offer the passage of solvent exchangeliquor through the cake for as long as needed using the vacuum and,optionally, recycling the same solvent exchange liquor for as long as isrequired. This results in the solvent concentration equilibrium beingreached much faster, thereby resulting in less consumption of thesolvent exchange liquid and/or generating significantly less waste.

Integrating with an Industrial Crystallizer:

Embodiments of the filter system of the invention can be integrated witha crystallizer. Crystallization is a process unit in many industries,such as pharmaceuticals, food and metals. Production of sugar, aluminain the famous Bayer Process, table salt and sodium sulfate all are someof the areas in which crystallization is a major process step. Manyfactors influence crystallization, such as concentration of nutrients,temperature and agitation. In most cases, crystallization alwaysinvolves a nucleation followed by crystal growth. In continuouscrystallization, crystals settle out of the crystallization environmentand are continuously removed by a filter or centrifuge. In batchcrystallization, the entire content of the batch which includes thecrystal particles and mother liquor gets discharged from thecrystallizer to a downstream separating stage. In either case, thecrystals do not settle unless they become large enough to overcome thedrag and static forces that have kept them in suspension.

In an embodiment of the method of the invention, a filter assemblyaccording to an embodiment of the invention is inserted into acrystallizer and then establishes a recycle flow of nutrient through thefiltration media. A vacuum pulls the mother liquor out to a separatortank and a pump returns it back to the crystallizer. In this way, thecrystals get separated out of solution immediately after formation. Thisstep may be followed by removing the crystals out of the crystallizationenvironment or maintaining the vacuum to hold the crystals on thefiltration media so that the circulation of nutrients over the crystalscontinues for further growth of crystals. Another option is to transfercrystals with or without washing to another nutrient environment. Afurther option would be to transfer the mother liquor out ofcrystallization while replacing with another feed. Many more options areavailable depending on the type of product and the set reactionconditions. Accordingly, embodiments of the invention provide for anumber of advantages and options for performing crystallization.

Integrating with a Reactor:

Very small solid particles, e.g., on the scale of a micron, alreadyloaded with or without metal ions can act as catalyst in many chemicalreactions. As catalyst particles get smaller and smaller, the surfacearea exposed to reaction increases proportionally. Such small catalystparticles could be, for example, zeolite or alumina compounds. However,loading these particles at such small sizing into a packed bed reactorwould result in a dramatic increase in pressure drop over the reactor.To overcome this problem, the active ingredients of catalyst are mixedwith some type of binder and then formed to bead or pellets inmillimeter sizing and loaded into a reactor. Many of the catalystproperties are reduced over this process.

If a catalyst bed that is formed on the filter system according toembodiments of the invention gets submerged inside a reactor, the flowrate through the bed will be relatively large due to the large surfacearea and vacuum force. However, flow might be reduced to some extentthrough changes in bed thickness and other operating parameters. Thepassage of flow might still be so high that the required Liquid HourlySpace Velocity (LHSV) is not met. To overcome this problem, thefeedstock may get recycled over the bed for a sufficient period of time.

In addition, for the first time catalyst can get changed out veryquickly or replaced by another batch of a different catalyst(s).Overall, then, embodiments of the invention provide new options as tohow a catalytic reaction can be handled with respect to reaction rate,catalyst replacement, etc. In addition, the tank 100 under atmosphericor pressure condition can be designed with, for example, an appropriateagitator, heating and/or cooling system to be used as a reactor. Theresult of the reaction could be formation of solids at variousconcentrations even up to the point that would be difficult for thecontent of the reactor to be pumped out. Under any circumstances, thefilter assembly 20 can be inserted into the reaction zone and remove thesolids when and where is required.

Use for Filtering High Solid Content Sludge and Slurries:

The filtration tank 100 may act as a reactor receiving raw materialsproducing solid products. It might be desired to have the concentrationof the formed solids reaching levels that cannot be pumped. But stillthe solids can be removed, washed and dropped at the desired destinationusing embodiments of the filter of the invention. In all known filtersystems, the slurry must be provided to the filter, while, in contrast,embodiments of the invention can bring the solids to it. The sameconcept may be used in handling the waste sludge.

Use for Filtering Solid from Mother Liquor Having High Freezing Point:

There are many solids that cannot be removed by vacuum filtrationbecause the freezing point of their mother liquor is high. Upon exposureto ambient temperature, the mother liquor freezes and blocks the holesof the filtration media. These types of solids are usually separatedusing pressure filters or expensive centrifuges. The pressure filtershave low net filtration rate while centrifuges are very expensive topurchase and maintain. One example is sodium sulfate crystals whosemother liquor coming off the evaporator freezes at 30 degreescentigrade. Embodiments of the invention are well adapted to removethese solids from their mother liquor at exceptionally high rate.

Other Possible Features in Various Embodiments:

The following is a non-exhaustive list of features which can be used invarious combinations in embodiments of the present invention, which isnot limited to the exemplary embodiments discussed above.

1. The entire cycle, including opening and closing the valves 642, 644,652, 662 can be fully automated based on filter times appropriate forthe application.

2. The crane 700 can be replaced with a hydraulic or pneumatic jack.

-   -   The number of wash stages can be increased to up to, for        example, twelve or thirteen stages, depending on the        application.

The filter system of invention can also be used for concurrent andrecycle washing as well.

-   -   The mobile vacuum transfer system 30 can be installed at the        middle of the system or tanks and can rotate 360 degrees and        move in the vertical plane along with filter assembly 20.    -   The flexible pipe 640 that transfers the vacuum to the filter        cells 510 can be rolled and gathered over a pulley and open up        as needed when the filter cells assembly moves from one tank to        the next. By this, the flexible pipe 640 is not swinging around        when the filter assembly 20 moves. And more significantly, this        improves the movement range of the filter assembly 20 to        additional tanks.

4. The connections of flexible pipe 640 to both the filter assembly 20and the vacuum transfer system 30 can both be made so as to rotatearound a central line. This type of connection significantly lowers themechanical load both on the flexible pipe 640 and the two sideconnections.

5. The filter cake can be dumped inside a hopper and from the hopperthen transferred by many numbers of means such as screw and beltconveyer to the next processing step or to waste by a truck. Therefore,cake discharge tank 300 in the prototype could be replaced by a hopperor even a flat trailer pulled by a pickup truck or even a tractor.

6. The filter assembly 20 can be provided with a frame to avoid possibleswinging.

7. The shape of the filter assembly 20 and the filter cells, includingthe horizontal plates, may be provided in any geometric shape.

8. The filtration and wash tanks 100, 200 may be equipped with bottomentry mixers. The bottom entry mixer fluidizes any cake that might dropto the bottom of these two tanks 100, 200 in addition to performingbetter mixing job. For some slurries with low settling velocities, amixer can be omitted.

9. The shape of the tanks 100, 200, 300 can take other geometric forms,including matching with the shape of the filter assembly 20.

10. When cells of the filter assembly 20 are lowered inside tank 100they feel various static pressure depending on where they are standingwith respect to the liquid level. To a limited degree this causes thethickness of the filter cake to slightly vary on various filter cells.To overcome this phenomena, in case it is desired, if the cells are ofhorizontal type, then the exit of filter cells can be equipped withorifices of various sizing depending the location of the filter cellwith respect to the liquid level. For vertical filter cells, the holes512 (see FIG. 10) are drilled at various sizes.

Some advantages of embodiments of the invention over known systems:

-   -   The filtration speed is significantly improved.    -   A significantly less amount of wash liquor is consumed.    -   Simple construction and therefore low cost per unit of        filtration area.    -   Easy exchange of parts and the ability to quickly and easily        adjust (increase or decrease) the filtration area.    -   Can utilize a combination of pressure and vacuum, providing for        certain advantages of both system types.    -   Avoids contamination during the separation of mother liquor from        the wash liquor.    -   The duration of the cycle steps can be tuned separately without        any effect on one another.    -   Can handle slurries with any percentage of solids.    -   Using embodiments with the vertical filter cells, the number of        washing stages may be more than one stage, for example up to        seven or eight stages.    -   Provides many options with respect to where to discharge the        filter cake.    -   Can be used advantageously for solvent exchange and/or        crystallization.    -   Can readily be sized to any product and process requirement.    -   A single design of the filter system can be used for a large        spectrum of slurries carrying solids having various particle        size and shape.        Semi-Continuous Vacuum Filter System:

The embodiments of the filter system 10 described with reference toFIGS. 1-29 in its ordinary operation with a single filter assembly 20and vacuum transfer system 30 is a batch type filter operating withvacuum. Referring to FIGS. 30-36, another embodiment of the inventionprovides a semi-continuous filter system 10A. The filter system 10Aincludes a number of filter cells 510 that are vertically oriented or,more preferably, horizontally oriented as discussed above. One or morefilter assemblies can be attached to an equal number of transportdevices or cranes, such as the crane 700 of FIG. 2, or more preferablyare attached to simple winches capable of only lifting/lowering anobject. Each winch is then connected to a separate rail, and morepreferably to a fixed beam 139A-D. The beams 139A-D are attached to eachother so as to rotate as a single body by the help of separate motor(s).The filter assemblies 20 hanging from the beams 139A-D rotate amongtanks so as to perform filtration, one or more washes and discharge ofthe filter cake at a certain location.

FIGS. 30-34 show a top and bottom view of a specially designed rotatingsection of the filter system 10A. In this embodiment, four beams 139A-Dintersect at center point 142 where they are firmly attached to oneanother. Alternatively, the beams can be integrally formed and canconsist of different numbers of beams or supports connected to oneanother. At each end, the beams 139A-D are attached to two wheels 143 ateach side and a wheel 144 at the bottom. Alternatively other numbers orarrangements of wheels or bearings are possible so long as the supportsfor the filter assemblies 20 rotate together. Ring 147 is positioned inthe horizontal plane to support wheels 144 and ring 149 is positioned inthe vertical plane to support wheels 143. The rings 147, 149 arepreferably attached to one another at endless point 151. Using motor153, the beams 139A-D, hereafter referred to as rotating assembly 146A,rotates on ring 147 while ring 149 maintains position and dampens anyhorizontal forces and mechanical shocks. The motor 153 can be fixed to aplate 157 that is firmly attached to two adjacent beams 139C, 139D.Additional motors can be provided depending on the size of the filterdevice. In addition, if spacing allows, the motor 153 could be coupledwith the wheel 144 that is positioned at the bottom of beams, one ateach end. The bottom ring 147 thereby withstands the vertical force(weight) while the side ring 149 withstands horizontal mechanical shocksexerted by the rotating assembly 146A. Springs 159 keep the wheels 143against the ring 149 absorbing any ovality that rings 149 might havewhen built in large scale in addition to helping in dampening mechanicalshocks. At the center 142, a free rotating joint 173 is positioned,which allows the pressurized gas used for blowing the filter cake offthe filter cells to be passed into the bottom sections while therotating assembly 146A is in motion.

Four winches 141A-D are attached to the beams 139A-D respectively, atthe top bottom or sides. Ropes 175A-D extend down from the winches141A-D respectively. From the center 142, a spool piece 176 ofpreferably round shape extends down. The spool piece 176 is connected toa closed cavity 161 at the bottom section by flange 178. The closedcavity 161 receives and stores pressurized air from the free rotatingjoint 173. Four ports 174A-D extend from the cavity 161 to supply thepressurized air to four filter assemblies 20 suspended from the ropes175A-D. At the bottom end, the cavity 161 is connected via flange 162 toanother bottom cavity 163 of preferably round shape. The bottom cavity163 also includes four ports 155 where pipes extend to the filterassemblies 20.

FIGS. 34 and 35 show further details of the filter system 10A. A supportstructure preferably made of steel supports the rings 147, 149 androtating assembly 146A above the grade level, for example using beams135 and brackets 138. The cavity 163 is closed at the top and side andopen at the lower end. The cavity 163 is sealed at the outside near thebottom end by passing through a packing gland 165. The packing gland 165is connected to the interior space of separator 167 positioned below viathe flexible joint 169. The cavities 161, 163 are attached to and rotatetogether with the rotating assembly 146A. The flexible joint 169 isflanged to the packing gland 165 at one end and attached to theseparator 167 at the other end. Pressurized air is supplied to thecavity 161 via the free rotating joint 173. The joint 173 is connectedto a pressurized air hose 172 at one end and to the cavity 161 at theother end. This is made possible, for example, by drilling a hole at thecenter 142 where the beams 139A-D cross each other. The rotating joint173 allows a continuous supply of air to the cavity 161 while the cavity161 is rotating along with the rotating assembly 146A.

The specially designed separator 167 is a closed cavity, preferablycylindrical in shape, closed at bottom and side and partially open atthe top by being attached to the flexible joint 169. The pipe 171attached to the free rotating joint 173 passes through the spool piece176 to supply the pressurized air to the cavity 161. There are fourfilter assemblies 20A-D (filter assemblies 20A and 20C being shown inFIG. 34) which are hung from winches 141A-D respectively. The filterassemblies 20A-D are each connected via a flexible pipe to three-wayjoints 164A-D respectively (three-way joints 164A and 164C being shownin FIG. 34). The three-way joints 164A-D extend to pipes 177A-Drespectively passing through valves 179A-D (pipes 177A and 177C andvalves 179A and 179C being shown in FIG. 34) and entering the cavity163. The pipes 177A-D then extends downward passing through the cavity163 and entering into the separator 167. The pipes 177A-D then make a 90degree turn toward the interior endless wall 156 of the separator 167reaching to above the collectors 180A-C. Before reaching the wall 156,optionally, the pipes 177A-D then make another 90 degree turn downwardso as to be positioned above the collectors 180A-C respectively(collectors 180A and 180C being shown in FIG. 34). The collectors 180A-Care attached to the interior wall 156 of the separator 167. The numberof collectors 180A-C is preferably equal to the number of filterassemblies 20A-D minus one. Thus, in this embodiment, the number ofcollectors 180A-C are three positioned 90 degrees apart, with one of thecollectors 180 occupying 180 degrees.

The cavity 161 acting as a pressurized air reservoir is connectedthrough pipes 189A-D passed through valves 191A-D to the three-wayjoints 164A-D respectively. Only two out of the four pipes 189A and189C, related valve sand joints, are shown in FIG. 34. In each casewhere two of the four components are shown in FIG. 34, the other twocomponents are located between the shown components at 90 degrees withrespect to each other. The collectors 180A-C are cavities closed at allside with exception of being open at the top as described above. Thecollectors 180A-C are separated by partition walls 190A-C and share twocommon walls, the interior wall 158 and the exterior wall 156. Theexterior wall 156 can be the shell of the separator 167. The bottom wall154 is also shared by all three collectors 180A-C. For the purpose ofcomplete drainage of liquid off the collectors 180A-C, the bottom wall154 has a slope toward the exterior wall 156.

The bottom of each collector 180A-C runs through a respective pipe183A-C to a temporary storage tanks 185A-C. The pressure inside eachtemporary storage tank 185A-C is equalized with the pressure inside theseparator 167 through equalization pipes 187A-C. The collectors 180A-Care positioned at a higher grade level than temporary liquid storagetanks 185A-C so any liquid runs down to tanks 185A-C by the force ofgravity. The role of collectors 180A-C is to collect the filtrate andsubsequent diluted wash liquors to the separate temporary storage tanks185A-C. The separator 167, like the vacuum separator 400 of theembodiments described above, is connected to a vacuum source, preferablya water ring vacuum pump. The pressure inside the vacuum separator 167can be controlled via valve 133 that controls the amount atmospheric airbeing sucked into the separator 167.

FIG. 36 shows further details of the filter system 10A. There are fourfilter assemblies 20A-D hung from winches 141A-D respectively andconnected to lines 177A-D via flexible pipes 168A-D. Correspondingly,four tanks 100, 200A, 200B and 300 are positioned beneath the filterassemblies 20A-D, in particular, the filtration tank 100, wash tank200A, wash tank 200B and filter cake discharge tank 300. The tanks 100,200A, 200B, 300 can be positioned at the grade level or above it.Referring to FIG. 36, as described above, two of the four assemblies 20Aand 20C are shown and two of the tanks 100, 200B are shown, but it is tobe understood that the other two respective components are located at 90degrees in between the two illustrated components, as with othercomponents of which four are provided. Filtration tank 100 receives andholds to the slurry to be filtered, tank 200A receives wash liquor, tank200B receives the counter current (back-washing liquid) and filter cakedischarge tank 300 receives the discharged filter cake. The filtrationtank 100 can be equipped with a side entry agitator 166. The wash liquortanks 200A and 200B can also be equipped with agitators depending on theapplication. The cake discharge tank 300 is equipped with either top orbottom agitator for re-slurry of the filter cake to a thick pumpablematerial.

Sequence of Operation:

Tanks 100, 200A and 200B are filled. The filter assembly 20A ispositioned above tank 100, filter assembly 20B is positioned above thetank 200A, filter assembly 20C is positioned above tank 200B and filterassembly 20D is positioned above tank 300. The valves 179A-D and 191A-Dare all closed. The pressurized air cavity 161 is filled withpressurized air and the separator 167 along with temporary liquidstorage tanks 185A-C are all brought under vacuum. The sequence ofoperation preferably controlled by a computer (e.g., a programmablelogic controller (PLC)) programmed with specific set points for eachstep. The set points could include, but are not limited to the timeduration of:

1. Solid take-up (filtration).

2. First wash.

3. Second wash.

4. Further extraction of filtrate in between filtration and first wash.

5. Further extraction of diluted wash liquor in between the first andsecond, and after the second, wash stages.

6. Further drying prior to cake discharge.

7. Reverse air pulse.

In addition, the controller can control:

8. Independent vacuum pressure control including complete cut off of thevacuum inside each filter assembly 20A-D at any point by respectivevalves 179A-D.

9. Vacuum pressure inside the separator 167 by valve 133.

9. Orders to stop and movement of the rotating assembly 146A.

Operation starts with winch 141A lowering the filter assembly 20A intotank 100. Once the filter cells 510 of the filter assembly 20A are fullysubmerged below the slurry level, the solid take-up starts by openingvalve 179A. Over the period of solid take-up, the vacuum pressure insidethe filter assembly 20A can also be controlled by valve 179A. When theset point for filtration time is met, winch 141A pulls the filterassembly 20A out of the tank 100 and then holds it for a time period setin the PLC controller to further extract filtrate out of the cake. Therotary assembly 146A moves the winch 141A to above tank 200A and stopsat this point. The winch 141A lowers the filter assembly 20A to belowthe liquid level in tank 200A and, simultaneously, the winch 141B whichis now positioned above tank 100 lowers the filter assembly 20B to belowthe liquid level in the tank 100, followed by immediate opening of valve179B to initiate solid take-up by the filter assembly 20B. At thispoint, while wash on filter assembly 20A is taking place, filtration isbeing performed by the filter assembly 20B. Here, it is noted that thefiltration and wash times may vary. For example, if the first washduration is longer than the filtration cycle, the filter assembly 20Bcan be raised out of tank 100 by winch 141B while washing continues withfilter assembly 20A. Once the filter assembly 20A or 20B with a shortercycle is pulled out, it is kept above the respective tank 100 or 200Auntil the next movement by the rotating assembly 146A. Over this timeperiod, the vacuum to the filter assembly 20A or 20B that has beenlifted out of the liquid first, could be kept unchanged, reduced,increased or cut-off by the respective valve 179A or 179B, for exampleto continue to extract liquid from the cake, keep the cake moisterand/or to retain the cake.

Once the filter assemblies 20A and 20B are out of the respective tanks100, 200A and the programmed times for drying/liquid-extraction haveelapsed, the rotating assembly 146A moves the filter assembly 20A toabove tank 200B, filter assembly 20B to above tank 200A and filterassembly 20C to above tank 100. All three filter assemblies 20A-C arethen lowered to the respective tanks 100, 200A, 200B below them. Oncethe filter assembly 20C is submerged in tank 100, valve 179C opens toinitiate the solid take-up. Simultaneously, wash on the filter assembly20B in tank 200A and subsequent wash the filter assembly 20A in tank200B are ongoing.

In the next step, as above, the washing and filtering times may vary,with the filter assemblies 20A-C with the shortest required durationsbeing lifted while the other filter assemblies 20A-C continue to filteror wash. To avoid over-drying of the cake, cake-cracking or anyundesirable change in the cake properties, or wasting the vacuum energy,the flow of vacuum to that particular filter assembly 20A-C could bereduced or completely cut off, if desired. Once all the filterassemblies 20A-C are out of the respective tanks 100, 200A, 200B and theprogrammed times for liquid extraction and drying have elapsed, therotating assembly 146A moves to position the filter assembly 20A toabove tank 300, filter assembly 20B to above tank 200B, filter assembly20C to above tank 200A and filter assembly 20D to above tank 100. Atthis stage, while the filter assemblies 20B-D are lowered to therespective tanks 100, 200A, 200B below them, the filter assembly 20Agoes through the operation of the cake discharge as described above, forexample including introducing a pulse of air from cavity 161 and/orlowering the filter assembly 20A for rotation on shaft 57 (See FIG. 28).In one embodiment, the rotation can be followed by closing valve 179Aand opening valve 191A for short duration for the reverse air pulse todetach the filter cake off the filter cells 510 so that the filter cakedrops into the tank 300 below. Once this and all necessary steps asdescribed above are complete, the rotating assembly 146A moves toposition the filter assembly 20A again above the tank 100, filterassembly 20B to above cake discharge tank 300, filter assembly 20C toabove tank 200B and filter assembly 20D to above tank 200A to continuethe operation. In other embodiments, the number of filter assemblies 20and the number of wash stages can be chosen depending on theapplication.

Continuous Vacuum Filter System:

FIGS. 37 and 38 illustrate a filter system 10B which is a continuousversion of the filter system 10A. Like the filter systems 10 and 10A,the filter system 10B operates with vacuum. The filter system 10B uses arotating assembly 146B similar to rotating assembly 146A except that therotating assembly 146B provides for continuous rotation. The filtrationvessel 267 used in the filter system 10B has a bottom wall that is aring connected to an interior wall 269 and exterior wall 270. Thecombination of the bottom wall, interior wall 269 and the exterior wall270 form a cavity that is portioned by the wall 268 into separatechambers A and B which are not necessarily equal in size. The chamber Areceives and stored the slurry and chamber B receives and stores washliquor. The platform C is positioned below closer to the grade level andcan accommodates a hopper equipped with a solid transfer device(s) suchas a screw or belt-type conveyor for transferring the filter cake toanother location. The platform C is separated from chambers A and B bywalls 271 and 272. The inner section of the vessel 267 is an open cavitywhere the separator 167 and temporary storage tanks 185A, B for filtrateand diluted wash liquor are positioned (see FIG. 34).

The rotating assembly 146B includes all the parts used in the rotatingassembly 146A described above and includes an additional beam 261 formedin a circle. The beam 261 is attached to radial beams 262 extending fromthe center. The number of radial beams 262 can vary depending on thesize of the filter system 10B. The winches 263 are attached to both beam261 and the radial beams 262, and in each case carry a filter assembly20. Each filter assembly 20 is attached to a flexible pipe 168 asdescribed in the filter system 10A and similar to the flexible pipe 640in the filter system 10. The filter system 10B includes a filtration anda single wash step taking place inside chambers A and B respectively ofvessel 267. The filter cake is discharged on platform C of the vessel267. Chambers A, B of the vessel 267 are fully separated by partitionwall 268. The separator 167 of the filter system 10B includes only twoof the collectors similar to collectors 180A-C of filter system 10A. Thenumber of temporary liquid collection tanks (similar to liquor storagetanks 185A-C) is also two, one for storing filtrate and the other forfiltering the wash liquor. However, depending on the application, therecould be more wash stages and therefore more chambers, collectors andstorage tanks. The vessel 267 may also include a blank space in betweenfiltration and wash, in between wash stages and in between the finalwash and the cake discharge section at platform C. Further liquidextraction and drying can take place as the filter assemblies 20 passover the blank spaces.

Sequence of Operation:

The operation of the filter system 10B includes a continuous rotation ofthe rotating assembly 146B carrying a plurality of filter assemblies 20.Over the course of rotation, each of the filter assemblies 20 is lowereddown to below the slurry level in chamber A which is continuously filledby the slurry. Accordingly, chamber A is a filtration tank. Once thefilter assembly 20 reaches below the liquid level a valve similar infunction to the valves 179A-D (see FIG. 34) opens up so solid take-up isinitiated. The solid take-up continues as the filter assembly 20 movesbelow the liquid level inside the chamber A of the vessel 267. Beforereaching the partition wall 268 in between chambers A and B of thevessel 267, the filter assembly 20 is lifted out of the slurry by theallocated winch. Once the filter assembly 20 reaches above the washtank, which in this embodiment is chamber B, it is lowered again tobelow the liquid level of the wash liquor in chamber B of the vessel267. Washing of the filter cake immediately starts and continues as thefilter assembly 20 moves below the liquid level in the chamber B of thevessel 267. Prior to reaching to the end of the chamber B of the vessel267, the filter assembly is lifted out by the respective winch. Asrotation continues, the filter assembly 20 reaches to above platform Cof the vessel 267. At this position, the filter assembly 20 is rotatedto the side, the vacuum is cut-off and a reverse air pulse is introducesas described in the filter systems 10, 10A. The filter assembly 20cleaned-off of any filter cake is then brought back to the verticalposition and is moved again to the solid take-up position by reaching toabove chamber A of the vessel 267 and being lowered down to below theslurry level and opening the appropriate valves to introduce the vacuum.

The filter system 10B provides equal filtration area as the filtersystem 10A, but advantageously provides a higher filtration rate.However, the filter system 10A provides more options for an independentselection for the durations of filtration and wash cycles. However,within the time that each filter assembly 20 passes a filtration or washzone, vacuum may be controlled, increased, decreased or completely cutoff by the respective valve. In addition, a trade-off between filtrationand wash time and the time duration for dewatering and drying can alwaysbe provided for.

An alternative design of the filter system 10B may include the use ofhydraulic jacks instead of winches so that the one or more filterassemblies 20 are held as they move below the liquid levels. Inaddition, it is possible to have the filter assemblies 20 move insiderails that are horizontally attached to the interior walls of the vessel267 to prevent the filter assemblies 20 from bouncing around as theymove below the liquid levels. Another alternative design may eliminatethe winches and provide instead that each filter assembly 20 is pulledby the rotating assembly 146B below the liquid level. In this design,the slurry and wash tank(s), or chambers A, B, would include rails onwhich the filter assemblies 20 are positioned and moved. For example,both ends of the slurry and wash tanks could include a ramp on which thefilter assemblies 20 are guided in and out of the tanks. Anotheralternative design can of course include the different orientations ofthe filter cells 510. Where the vertical filter cells 510 are used, thecake discharge can then be performed without any special equipment forrotating the filter assemblies 20. Another alternative to the designcould include installing wheels to the legs of the filter assemblies 20,for example, perpendicular to the exterior wall 270 and the interiorwall 269. Such wheels could slide against the walls 269, 270 givingsupport to a smooth movement of the plural of filter cells insidechambers A and B of the vessel 267. Another alternative design caninclude use of partially round filter cells for the best fit to chamberA acting as the filtration tank. Another alternative design can includeuse of moveable cranes similar to one used in FIG. 2 above instead of afixed winch. This will allow for movement of the filter assemblies 20 tobeyond chambers A and B while it is in rotation. This would also allowfor installing more tanks for wash and allocating more locations fordischarging the filter cake outside the wall 270. Another alternativedesign could be placing the separator tank 167 at a lower level than thecombination of chambers A and B and the cake discharge tank. By that,more spacing will be released at the center of the filter system 10B.The freed-up spacing can be used to enlarge Chambers A and B andplatform C.

Semi-Continuous Pressure Filter System:

Pressure filtration can be desired in many applications including forviscous slurries and/or slurries containing small particle size solids.In addition, pressure filtration is used for product finishing andclarification, and when a very dry cake is desired. The most popularpressure filter is a filter press. However, a filter press is a batchfilter, cost intensive and has low filtration rate per filter area incomparison to continuous vacuum filters. In addition, filter presses aresubject to numerous operational obstacles such as leakage. In fact, theindustry has suffered a long-felt need for a filter system to replacethe filter presses due to the foregoing limitations. The pressureversion of the filter system according to an embodiment of the inventionsolves this long-felt need and is moreover cost effective, easy tooperate and maintain and could well be an optimum replacement for filterpresses in many industries.

Referring to FIGS. 39-41 a semi-continuous pressure filter system 10C isshown. The filter system 10C incorporates a major portion of the filtersystem 10A into a pressure vessel. The filter system 10C performsfiltration, wash and even multiple wash cycles if desired, dry-out andfinally discharging the filter cake to atmospheric pressure. It includesa pressure vessel with the part of the bottom half filled with liquidand the top half filled with some type of pressurized gas suitable forthe application. The filter system 10C includes the rotating assemblysystem 146C which is similar in design and operation to the rotatingassemblies 146A, 146B carrying the filter assemblies 20.

A pressure vessel 201, preferably oriented vertically and cylindrical ingeometry, has a top head 203 and a bottom head 204. The heads 203, 204are preferably elliptical in geometry. Through the center of the bottomhead 204, pipe 209 enters the pressure vessel 201 and extends at leasthalfway up through the vessel 201 pointing upward. The exterior wall ofpipe 209 is sealed all around to the bottom head 204. If the vessel 201must be made of steel, the sealing can done by welding. The bottomportion of the vessel 201 is divided into three equal chambers 206A-C bypartition walls 202A-C. The partition walls 202A-C are sealed at theside to the vessel wall 205, at the middle to pipe 209 and at the bottomto the bottom head 204. Viewed from above, the three partition walls202A-C are located at 0, 120 and 240 degrees. At the top of the vessel201, near the top end of wall 205, the rotating assembly 146C isinstalled. The rotating assembly is comprised of three beams 213A-C,each positioned on a wheel and supported by two side wheels similar torotating assembly 146A. Winches 215A-C are fixed to the respective beams213A-C. Motor 218 provides the driving force to the rotating assembly146C. At the center where the beams 213A-C are attached together, aspool pipe 221 is passed and extends to the cavity 217 for storing apressurized gas. The top head of the cavity 217 is flanged to the spoolpipe 221. The spool pipe 221 connects the cavity 217 to the beams 213 atthe point of their junction. The cavity 217, pointing downward isflanged to the pipe 223. The pipe 223 extends into the well 208. Thewell 208 is the interior cavity of pipe 209 discussed above.

FIG. 41 is a schematic, two-dimensional view of the filter system 10C.As with the Figures above, it is to be understood that where only aportion of the components are shown, such as those designated A, C, theother corresponding components, such as those designated B are disposed,for example, at equal angles in relation to the components designated A,C. The pipe 221 is attached to the cavity 217 at one end and to a freerotating joint 219 at the other end. A pressurized gas pipe 210 ispassed through the top head 203 and is attached to the free rotatingjoint 219. Supply of pressurized gas to the cavity 217 during rotationis made possible using the free rotating joint 219. The cavity 217 is aclosed cavity preferably in cylindrical shape with a wall, and a top anda bottom head. Toward the bottom end of pipe 209, a packing system 211is attached. The exterior wall of the packing system 211 is a shockabsorber and the wall is of an expansion joint type. The interior sideof the packing system 211 is filled with packing materials supported bya ring similar to packing glands in centrifugal pumps. The pipe 223passing through well 208 extends through the packing system 211, exitingthe pressure vessel 201 and entering the collection tank 257. Thecollection tank 257 operates at atmospheric pressure having separatechambers 257A and 257B for collection of filtrate and diluted washliquor. If required by the application, the tank 257 may operates underany required pressure and, in that case, the entrance of pipe 223 intotank 257 is sealed. The design by which the filtrate and diluted washliquor can be collected separately is the same as in embodimentsdescribed above.

To each winch 215A-C, a filter assembly 20 having either horizontal,diagonal or vertical filter cells 510 is connected. Diagonal filtercells 510 are preferred, and likewise can be provided in any of thefilter systems 10, 10A, 10B as well. The filter cells 510 of diagonaltype are similar to horizontal cells with the difference being that thefilter plates are positioned with a slope pointing downward. Thepreferred slope angle is 45 degrees. In this case, it has beendiscovered that it is easier to drop the filter cake off the filtercells 510 if the said filter cells 510 are positioned diagonal ratherthan horizontal. In the filter system 10C of the pressure type, it ispreferred to avoid rotating the filter assemblies 20 or filter cells 510to discharge the filter cake. Instead, the pulse of pressurized gasshould be sufficient to disengage the filter cake off the filtrationmedium, followed by some type of vibration to drop the filter cake off.Rotation of the filter assemblies 20 prior to discharge of the cakewould require more spacing and would thereby be more expensive since itmust be accommodated inside an expensive pressure vessel.

The filter assemblies 20A-C are hung from winches 215A-C respectively.The flexible pipes connected to the filter assemblies 20A-C are extendedto pipes 225A-C, which extend to four-way joints 227A-C and then passthrough valves 229A-229C and enter the pipe 223. The point of junctionof pipes 225A-C with the pipe 223 is completely sealed. The pipes 225A-Cextend to 90 degree elbows pointing downward. Once the pipes 225A-C exitthe pipe 223 outside of the vessel 201, they extend to enter thecollection tank 257, preferably positioned directly below the vessel201. Once the pipes 225A-C enter the separator 257, they make oppositeturns so that the points of discharge of liquid from each pipe 225A-C isat a desirable distance from each other.

From the pressurized air cavity 217, three pipes 228A-C exit outwardwithin the horizontal plane and above pipes 225A-C. The pipes 225A-Cextend to valves 230A-C and then join the pipes 225A-C at four-wayjunctions 227A-C respectively. The valves 229A-C each have a bypassvalve 254A-C that is smaller in size than the respective valve 229A-C.Downstream of each valve 254A-C is an orifice 255A-C. Valves 254A-C andorifices 255A-C are used for smooth drainage of trapped liquid insidethe filter assemblies 20 prior to introduction of pressurized gas forthe purpose of filter cake discharge.

As discussed above, the lower portion of the vessel 201 is equallypartitioned into chambers 206A-C. The upper portion of the vessel 201 ispressurized with a type of gas appropriate for the application. Thechoice of gas can be air for many mineral and chemical applications. Thelower portion of the vessel 201 is where the slurry and wash liquor arereceived and the filter cake gets discharged off the filter medium. Tostop the leakage of gas from the vessel 201 to atmosphere, above thepacking system 211 a sealing fluid is provided. A small portion of thesealing fluid is always forced by the gas pressure in between the pipe223 and the packing material of the packing system 211 and finally leaksto outside of the vessel 201. A level of sealing fluid is constantlymaintained above the packing system 211. The choice of sealing fluiddepends on the application, however, water is the most appropriate fluidfor most applications.

Slurry is received and stored in the chamber 206A, which can be equippedwith a bottom agitator 232 and a packing gland 233 where the bottomagitator's shaft enters the chamber 206A. A mechanical or pressurizedsealing equipped with flushing may be used instead of the packing gland233. If the slurry has a low settling velocity, a pump-around can beused instead of the agitator 232. Wash liquor is received and stored inthe chamber 206B. The filter cake is discharged in the chamber 206C. Ahopper 231 is disposed inside chamber 206C. The hopper 231 is closed atsides by walls 234 and the bottom by cone shape wall 238 except beingopen through the pipe 236. Overall, the hopper 231 has the same geometryas the chamber 206C.

The hopper 231 is stationed on a vibrating device(s) 235. The filtercake is discharged inside the hopper 231 and is directed through pipe237 into the screw conveyer 239. The size of the pipe 237 is largerdiameter than the pipe 236 extends through the bottom of the vessel 201where is completely sealed all around. The conveyer 239 transfers thefilter cake to the hopper 240 where it is stored prior to discharge tothe atmospheric pressure in batches. The hopper 240 is a closed cavitypreferably with cylindrical walls 241, a bottom head 242 in cone shapeand a top elliptical head 243. Once the hopper 240 is filled with thefilter cake(s), pressure inside the hopper 240 and a hopper 248 which ispositioned below the hopper 240 are equalized by opening a valve 245 onpipe 247. Prior to equalization of pressure, valves 249, 251 which areat the exit ends of the hoppers 240, 248 respectively must be closed.The pressure equalization is followed by opening the valve 249 and thefilter cake(s) are discharged into the hopper 248. Once the hopper 248is filled with the filter cake(s), valve 245 is closed followed byclosing valve 249. Prior to discharge of the filter cake from the hopper248, the pressure inside the hopper 248 is brought to atmosphericpressure by opening the valve 252 on pipe 253. Once the hopper 248 iscompletely depressurized, the filter cake gets discharged by openingvalve 251. To ease the discharge of filter the cake, vibration might beapplied on either hopper 240, 248, or both. While the filter system 10Coperates semi-continuously, discharge of the filter cake to atmosphericis done in batches. The filtrate and diluted wash liquor are pumped outof chambers 257A, B to the next processing stage.

Sequence of Operation:

The entire sequence of operation, time duration of each and every step,levels and pressures and process of cake discharge to atmospheric areall controlled by a programmable logic controller (PLC). The PLC hasalso been programmed for maximum safety of the pressure system and itsoperation. Chamber 206A is filled with the slurry up to below the upperend of pipe 209. Wash liquor is filled into chamber 206B up to below theupper end of pipe 209. The level of slurry is strictly controlled byappropriate level control valve 250 in conjunction with an automaticlevel transmitter and level controller. The level of wash liquid is alsocontrolled by corresponding control systems. While all the valves areclosed, the vessel 201 is then pressurized to the desirable pressureusing an appropriate gas. The gas pressure inside the vessel 201 can becontrolled using a simple gas regulator 244 or more sophisticatedpressure control valves coupled with a pressure transmitter and adigital pressure controller. For many applications, the gas could beair.

The beams 213A-C are set above the middle of chambers 206A-Crespectively such that the winches 215A-C are positioned above thechambers 206A-C respectively. The filter assembly 20A is lowered tobelow the slurry level in chamber 206A followed by opening the valve229A. Filtration starts immediately. While the slurry is pumped into thevessel 201, the slurry pump that pumps in the slurry plays no directrole in passing the liquid through the filtration medium. Rather, thegas pressure above the slurry level provides the driving force forfiltration. If desired, vacuum may also be applied on collection tank257 as in earlier embodiments. In such a case, the entrance of pipe 223and the collection tank 257 must be sealed by a packing gland loadedwith appropriate packing materials. Once the programmed filtration timehas elapsed, the valve 229A is closed and the filter assembly 20A ispulled out of the slurry. To empty the filter assembly 20A from anyremaining liquid, the bypass valve 254A is opened so a flow of gasenters the filter assembly 20A to drain any trapped liquid out of thefilter assembly 20A and into the flexible pipe. Orifice 255A positioneddownstream of valve 254A prevents any rapid depressurization of thevessel 201. A flow of liquid established through the orifice 255A isfollowed by the flow of gas. Once gas enters the orifice, the valve 254Ais closed. However, if further drying of the filter cake is desired, thevalve 229A can also be used for allowing some flow of gas to passthrough the filter cake.

In a second step, the filter assembly 20A is moved to above chamber 206Band simultaneously the filter assembly 20B is moved to above chamber206A. The winches 215A, B lower the filter assemblies 20A, B down belowthe wash liquor and slurry level respectively. This is followed byopening of valves 229A, B. Wash in chamber 206B and filtration inchamber 206A commences. When programmed durations for either wash orfiltration elapses, either valve 229A, B close, followed by lifting upof the respective filer assembly 20A, B from the relevant liquid by therelevant winch 215A, B. Once both filtration and wash timing come to theend, and both the filter assemblies 20A, B have been lifted, thesequence of operating valve 254A, and this time also valve 254B isrepeated. As a result, any trapped liquid is emptied off the filterassemblies 20A, B. Next, the rotating assembly 146C moves the filterassembly 20A to above chamber 206C where the filter cake getsdischarged. Simultaneously, the filter assembly 20B is moved to chamber206B for washing and the filter assembly 20C is moved to chamber 206Afor filtration. The cake discharge step starts with an introduction of areverse pulse of gas into the filter assembly 20A by opening the valve230A for a short duration. The pressure of the gas pulse must be higherthan the pressure of the vessel 201 pressure by a magnitude of between 1to 6 bar, and in some application more. The reverse gas pulsedisconnects the filter cake off the filter medium. Optionally, thefilter assembly 20A can be positioned on a vibrating device to ease thecake drop off into chamber 206C. Once the cake is dropped and filtrationwith filter assembly 20C and wash with filter assembly 20B are complete,the valves 229B,C are closed and the filter assemblies 20B, C are pulledout of the relevant liquid and moved to the next step. Discharge of thefilter cake from the hopper 231 to the screw conveyer 239 and from thereto hoppers 241, 248 can then take place as described above. The filterassembly is moved to above chamber 206A, and the process is repeated.

Alternative Design of the Filter System 10C:

1. If the filter assembly 20 of the vertical type is used, to avoiddrop-off of the filter cake, upon removal of the filter assembly off theslurry and/or wash liquor, a flow of gas must be established throughline 225.

2. A shaft can be entered into the vessel 201 through the center pointof the top head 203 extending to the middle junction of all beams 213.Outside the vessel 201, the shaft is connected to a series of bearingsfor support and a motor for rotation of rotary system 146C. In such acase, the rotating junction 219 is placed outside the vessel 201 andabove the shaft. The shaft includes a hole at the middle extendingthrough to pass the pressurized gas to cavity 217.

3. Two roller bearings can be placed inside housing or two bush bearingsare positioned around the pipe 223 below the packing system 211 withinan appropriate distance from one another. In a space between thebearings, a gear and chain connected to a motor are provided. The motorreplaces and/or helps motor 218 in rotation. In addition, inside thevessel 201, another roller bearing placed inside the housing or a bushbearing are attached to top head 203 right above the junction of allbeams 213. A shaft extends from the junctions of the beams upwardentering the bearing. This design would minimize mechanical shocksexerted on packing system 211, thereby lengthening the life of thepacking materials.

Continuous Pressure Filter System:

A continuous pressure filtration can also be provided by utilizing thefeatures of the filter system 10C in combination with the features ofthe filter system 10B. Like the filter system 10B, the continuouspressure filtration includes a rotary system 146C that continuouslyrotates to move filter assembly 20 in between the stages of filtration,wash and cake discharge. With an equal size of such a filter system tofilter system 10C with respect to the size of the pressure vessel, thecontinuous filter system includes filter assemblies 20 of a smallersize, but also can rotate at a faster rate. The overall net filtrationrate of the continuous filter system is more than the filter system 10C,but provides less control over the duration of the filtration and wash.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in thedrawings and foregoing description, such illustration and descriptionare to be considered illustrative or exemplary and not restrictive. Itwill be understood that changes and modifications may be made by thoseof ordinary skill within the scope of the following claims. Inparticular, the present invention covers further embodiments with anycombination of features from different embodiments described above andbelow. Additionally, statements made herein characterizing the inventionrefer to an embodiment of the invention and not necessarily allembodiments.

The terms used in the claims should be construed to have the broadestreasonable interpretation consistent with the foregoing description. Forexample, the use of the article “a” or “the” in introducing an elementshould not be interpreted as being exclusive of a plurality of elements.Likewise, the recitation of “or” should be interpreted as beinginclusive, such that the recitation of “A or B” is not exclusive of “Aand B,” unless it is clear from the context or the foregoing descriptionthat only one of A and B is intended. Further, the recitation of “atleast one of A, B and C” should be interpreted as one or more of a groupof elements consisting of A, B and C, and should not be interpreted asrequiring at least one of each of the listed elements A, B and C,regardless of whether A, B and C are related as categories or otherwise.Moreover, the recitation of “A, B and/or C” or “at least one of A, B orC” should be interpreted as including any singular entity from thelisted elements, e.g., A, any subset from the listed elements, e.g., Aand B, or the entire list of elements A, B and C.

What is claimed is:
 1. A filter system for filtering solids, the filtersystem comprising: a filtration tank for receiving a slurry containingthe solids to be filtered; a filter assembly including a plurality offilter cells each having a filter medium at an exterior and a cavity atan interior; a transport device carrying the filter assembly; and avacuum transfer system connected to the filter assembly so as totransfer a vacuum to an interior of the filter cells, wherein the vacuumtransfer system is operable to perform the filtering and to retain thefiltered solids while the transport device moves the filter assemblyrelative to the filtration tank, and wherein the vacuum transfer systemis moveable with the filter assembly and includes a driven mobile pipeand a stationary pipe to transfer the vacuum to the filter cells.
 2. Thefilter system according to claim 1, further comprising a wash tank, thevacuum transfer system being continuously operable as the transportdevice moves the filter assembly from the filtration tank to the washtank to retain the solids and to perform washing on the solids in thewash tank.
 3. The filter system according to claim 2, further comprisinga vacuum separator connected to a vacuum source having at least twochambers connected to the vacuum transfer system so as to receivefiltrate pulled through the filter cells during the filtering in a firstchamber and diluted wash liquor pulled through the filter cells in asecond chamber during the washing.
 4. The filter system according toclaim 1, wherein the filter cells are oriented horizontally and are eachconnected to a vertical liquid collector having a pipe therein extendingtoward a bottom of the liquid collector.
 5. The filter system accordingto claim 1, wherein the filter cells are oriented vertically and eachinclude a pipe extending therein toward a bottom of the cavities.
 6. Thefilter system according to claim 1, wherein the vacuum transfer systemis connected to a liquid collector of the filter assembly via a flexiblepipe, the liquid collector communicating with the interiors of thefilter cells.
 7. The filter system according to claim 1, furthercomprising at least first and second wash tanks for first and secondwash cycles, the first wash tank being connected to a discharge pumpconfigured to provide diluted wash liquor from the second wash tank, thesecond wash cycle being later than the first wash cycle.
 8. A process offiltering solids comprising: moving a filter assembly into a filtrationtank for receiving a slurry containing the solids to be filtered, thefilter assembly including a plurality of filter cells each having afilter medium at an exterior and a cavity at an interior; filtering thesolids; and after filtering, moving the filter assembly out of thefiltration tank, wherein a vacuum is applied to the interior of thefilter cells during the moving of the filter assembly.
 9. The processaccording to claim 8, wherein the vacuum draws the slurry through thefilter medium into the interiors of the filter cells so as to performthe filtering, and wherein the vacuum is applied while moving the filterassembly from the filtration tank to a wash tank.
 10. The processaccording to claim 8, further comprising moving the filter assembly intoa first wash tank while continuously applying the vacuum, and washingthe retained solids by pulling wash liquor through the filter cellsusing the vacuum.
 11. The process according to claim 10, furthercomprising moving the filter assembly from the first wash tank to adifferent location while continuously maintaining the vacuum and thenapplying a short pulse of air into the filter cells so as to dischargethe solids at the different location.
 12. The process according to claim10, further comprising, after the washing, moving the filter assemblyinto a further wash tank while continuously applying the vacuum, andperforming a further washing on the solids by pulling the wash liquorthrough the filter cells using the vacuum, wherein the first wash tankutilizes diluted wash liquor from the further wash tank.
 13. The processaccording to claim 8, wherein the filtering is performed with the filtercells having a horizontal orientation, the process further comprising,after moving the filter assembly to a solids discharge location,rotating the filter cells to discharge the solids.
 14. The processaccording to claim 8, wherein the filter assembly is moved in asemi-continuous or continuous manner using a rotating assembly whichmoves from the filtration tank, to at least one wash tank, to a solidsdischarge location and back to the filtration tank.
 15. The processaccording to claim 8, wherein the filtration tank is disposed a pressurevessel, wherein the filtering is performed using pressure in thepressure vessel, and wherein the vacuum is applied for at least one ofretaining the solids to the filter assembly, liquid extraction or dryingthe solids.
 16. The process according to claim 8, wherein the filtrationtank is disposed in a pressure vessel which also includes at least onewash tank and a solids discharge location, wherein the filter assemblyis semi-continuously or continuously moved within the pressure vessel bya rotating assembly from the filtration tank, to at least one wash tank,to a solids discharge location and back to the filtration tank, whereinfiltrate and diluted wash liquor are directed into chambers of aseparator disposed outside of the pressure vessel passing through ajunction that is sealed using a sealing fluid.
 17. The process accordingto claim 8, wherein the filtration tank is a crystallizer, and whereinthe vacuum is applied so as to facilitate growth of crystals.
 18. Aprocess for washing a filter cake comprising: moving a filter assemblyto a first wash tank for receiving a wash liquor, the filter assemblyincluding at least one filter cell having a filter medium at an exterioron which the filter cake is formed and a cavity at an interior, whereina vacuum is applied to the interior of the at least one filter cellduring the moving; and washing the filter cake in the first wash tank byapplying the vacuum to the interior of the at least one filter cell sothat the wash liquor moves through the filter cake at the exterior intothe cavity.
 19. The process according to claim 18, further comprising,after the washing, moving the filter assembly to a further wash tank andperforming a second washing, wherein the wash liquor used in the firstwash tank is diluted wash liquor from the further wash tank.
 20. Aprocess for washing a filter cake comprising: moving a filter assemblyinto a first wash tank for receiving a wash liquor, the filter assemblyincluding at least one filter cell having a filter medium at an exterioron which the filter cake is formed and a cavity at an interior; washingthe filter cake by applying the vacuum to the interior of the at leastone filter cell so that the wash liquor moves through the filter cake atthe exterior into the cavity; and then after the washing, moving thefilter assembly to a further wash tank and performing a second washing,wherein the wash liquor used in the first wash tank is diluted washliquor from the further wash tank.
 21. A filter system for filteringsolids, the filter system comprising: a filtration tank for receiving aslurry containing the solids to be filtered; a filter assembly includinga plurality of filter cells each having a filter medium at an exteriorand a cavity at an interior; a transport device carrying the filterassembly; and a vacuum transfer system connected to the filter assemblyso as to transfer a vacuum to an interior of the filter cells, whereinthe vacuum transfer system is operable to perform the filtering and toretain the filtered solids while the transport device moves the filterassembly relative to the filtration tank, and wherein the vacuumtransfer system is connected to a liquid collector of the filterassembly via a flexible pipe, the liquid collector communicating withthe interiors of the filter cells.
 22. A filter system for filteringsolids, the filter system comprising: a filtration tank for receiving aslurry containing the solids to be filtered; a filter assembly includinga plurality of filter cells each having a filter medium at an exteriorand a cavity at an interior; a transport device carrying the filterassembly; a vacuum transfer system connected to the filter assembly soas to transfer a vacuum to an interior of the filter cells; and at leastfirst and second wash tanks for first and second wash cycles, the firstwash tank being connected to a discharge pump configured to providediluted wash liquor from the second wash tank, the second wash cyclebeing later than the first wash cycle, wherein the vacuum transfersystem is operable to perform the filtering and to retain the filteredsolids while the transport device moves the filter assembly relative tothe filtration tank.
 23. A process of filtering solids comprising:moving a filter assembly into a filtration tank for receiving a slurrycontaining the solids to be filtered, the filter assembly including aplurality of filter cells each having a filter medium at an exterior anda cavity at an interior; filtering the solids; and after filtering,moving the filter assembly out of the filtration tank, wherein thefilter assembly is moved in a semi-continuous or continuous manner usinga rotating assembly which moves from the filtration tank, to at leastone wash tank, to a solids discharge location and back to the filtrationtank, wherein a vacuum is applied to the interior of the filter cellsduring at least one of the filtering and the moving of the filterassembly.
 24. A process of filtering solids comprising: moving a filterassembly into a filtration tank for receiving a slurry containing thesolids to be filtered, the filter assembly including a plurality offilter cells each having a filter medium at an exterior and a cavity atan interior; filtering the solids; and after filtering, moving thefilter assembly out of the filtration tank, wherein a vacuum is appliedto the interior of the filter cells during at least one of the filteringand the moving of the filter assembly, wherein the filtration tank is acrystallizer, and wherein the vacuum is applied so as to facilitategrowth of crystals.
 25. A filter system for filtering solids, the filtersystem comprising: a filtration tank for receiving a slurry containingthe solids to be filtered; a filter assembly including a plurality offilter cells each having a filter medium at an exterior and a cavity atan interior; a transport device carrying the filter assembly; a vacuumtransfer system connected to the filter assembly so as to transfer avacuum to an interior of the filter cells; a wash tank, the vacuumtransfer system being continuously operable as the transport devicemoves the filter assembly from the filtration tank to the wash tank toretain the solids, and being operable to perform the filtering and toperform washing on the solids in the wash tank; and a vacuum separatorconnected to a vacuum source having at least two chambers connected tothe vacuum transfer system so as to receive filtrate pulled through thefilter cells during the filtering in a first chamber and diluted washliquor pulled through the filter cells in a second chamber during thewashing.